


Twilight Collision

by yrrahjen



Series: Twilight Collision [1]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, EdwardAndBella, Edwardwithmoodswings, F/M, Fanfiction, Parallel Universe, StrongerBella, twilight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 31,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yrrahjen/pseuds/yrrahjen
Summary: What would it be like if Bella wasn't this fragile human when Edward met her? The Cullens have always known that their life as mythical creatures will never be ordinary but what if something... or someone out of this world comes crashing down their lives, literally.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale
Series: Twilight Collision [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890847
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	1. Baseball

**Author's Note:**

> ***All credit goes to Stephenie Meyer for the characters and everything about Twilight. I am just one of the many fans who wants to make my own twist out of this story.
> 
> Book 1/3 of Twilight Collision  
> Story Complete but will post chapters one at a time
> 
> Story also available in Wattpad and fanfiction.net

Edward POV

The weather was perfect for playing baseball and when I say perfect weather, I'm not talking about warm and sunny. Perfect weather is when you can see dark clouds forming in the sky, thunder rumbling from a distance and the occasional lightning that gives the field an eerie atmosphere.

Far away from the humans, this was my family's favorite spot for playing ball. Here, we can be ourselves, and strip away our human facade that we so carefully kept.

As much as we liked blending in, it always felt good to be away from them and give in to our nature… our Vampire nature. Of course, our nature wasn't actually the norm of our kind. Normal vampires hunt humans and drink their blood but for our family, we hunt and drink animal's blood and call ourselves vegetarians.

There was a time when I could not understand why we had to go against what we truly are. I had questioned Carlisle, my creator and my father by all accounts and purposes and even though I had always known the answer to that question, I never truly put it to heart. Huh, how ironic. I don't have a heart, at least a beating one.

"I strongly believe that we still have our souls intact and if by not killing humans would mean having a soul that is not engulfed in darkness... even just one tiny speck of light left son... then I will do everything in my power to keep it that way"

Carlisle would say. His words did not bring me assurance. I didn't believe vampires had souls but I knew his intents were pure and out of respect, I had learned to accept this way of life.

Seven vampires had bonded together because of our way of living. Carlisle with his mate Esme, we consider them our parents. Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice, they were my brothers and sisters. Our desire to not kill humans gave us the ability to live together as a family and made our bond stronger.

_Edward, pay attention will you?_

Alice, with her small figure and her pixie-like hair, snapped me out of my little reverie and it was like the volume was turned up in my head and all of their voices can be heard all at once.

As if being inhumanly beautiful, strong and fast was not enough, I got thrown a little bit of extra: mind reading. When Carlisle realized that I was answering his thoughts rather than his words after I was changed, he knew that I was special.

It was frustrating at first. It felt like a bunch of people shouting in your ear all at once but I learned to tune them out eventually but it was harder for my family.

To others, it didn't bother me because they weren't aware that someone was listening but my family knew, and they knew that their thoughts were no longer safe when they're with me.

I try to give them as much privacy as I can by trying not to pay attention but it's hard to do that when they're intentionally throwing their thoughts at you.

Alice raised her eyebrow at me. She was another vampire who had special abilities. If I can read minds, she can predict the future. Her visions always changes being dependent to how it was being made but once it has been decided, her visions solidify and that future is set.

In her vision, she was holding the bat while I was on the third plate but she's showing me how I had hesitated for a split second and almost didn't make it to home plate… almost. We would win of course but Alice was being Alice.

I gave a slight nod indicating that I was focused on the game and analyzed the others on their mind.

Esme was standing a few feet outside the line as our referee, her soft caramel-colored hair meticulously kept under her baseball hat. Her heart-shaped face turned towards the scene in front of her and her eyes were happily adoring the family that she loved deeply and worried that we might start brawling on the field even though she knew that we could never be hurt. 

It was a three on three game which was not really typical for baseball. Me, Alice and Carlisle were on one team and Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper on the other. Jasper who was skilled in battle tactics was calculating any possible moves when his mate hits the ball. His lean body tensed, ready to make his move.

Rosalie flipped her long golden curled hair to her back and was cheering her mate Emmett. She thinking of ways to reward him if they win this game, in bed.

Uugghhh. I tuned out her ever so vulgar thoughts.

Emmett was on the other hand trying not to decide how to throw the ball. He was the biggest among us, with grizzly-like feature that could intimidate anyone, except for the fact that his muscled-body was paired a boyish look and mischievous grin.

We knew how Alice's predictions work. How she can foresee requires a decision to be made but at the last instant, Emmett flexed his muscles and tried to gain momentum as he decided to throw the ball in an angle just like throwing a boomerang. Alice saw it coming and as the ball hit the steel bat, it created a large booming sound that amplified the sound of thunder when it hit a tree somewhere nearby.

I was already halfway towards the home plate when our vampire ears heard a vacuum sound from a distance followed by a huge blast in the sky.

It stopped us in our tracks and we gazed up to where the blast came from. A hundred miles from our location, the sky was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. The blast was so strong that , vampire senses or not, the tremors would be felt from where we were standing

"Wow! That was something!" Emmett was saying. He was tense with excitement.

"Alice?" Carlisle queried, his youthful appearance may not betray how long he has been in this existence yet his eyes showed wisdom and caution that was needed of a coven leader, and a father. He always worried, not for himself but for his family and he wanted to know if she can foresee anything that might cause harm to our family.

Her gaze turned blank for a few seconds "I can only see us moving towards the scene but I can't see anything else, yet."

I already knew that. I saw us running towards the blast instead of away from it, which was the logical thing do. If anything else, we didn't want to be involved in anything that may expose the family for what we really were and going anywhere near some catastrophe does not really help our cause.

Then I saw it, the reason why we were going to the direction of the explosion. Just as the smokes cleared from the sky, a lone object was falling fast and was enveloped in flames like a meteor falling from the sky but it wasn't a meteor. It wasn't even a thing. With our enhanced sight, we could see it clearly. It was a human.


	2. Sweet Blood

Carlisle's instinct to save people kicked in and he was already running with all of us following behind. If there were other witnesses, we want to be there to control the situation. It would only take us a few minutes to get there anyway.

"Do you think that was a plane that exploded?" Rosalie thought aloud.

Even though we were running a few feet apart, we can still hear each other clearly.

"Unlikely. The altitude is too low. Probably a helicopter" Jasper contemplated but still had doubts. No airplane or helicopter could explode like that, and besides, we would have noticed if there were was an aircraft that passed by. All we could think of was a bomb being thrown in the sky judging from the strength of that blast. It was a good thing that this place was far away from civilization and it would take at least a few hours for anyone to arrive, just enough time for us to get away.

We arrived at the location but we were too late. In front of us was a huge crater caused by the impact of the fall at least 15 feet deep and all covered in smoke.

The smoke was still blocking the view but that didn't stop us from clearly seeing the figure lying at the center of the scene. The half side of her clothes was destroyed but she was wearing a black bodysuit that hugged tightly on her body and was remarkably undamaged. Her fair skin was covered with dirt and her long black hair was in disarray with some of the strands covering her heart shaped face.

Before I could make any further assessment, the wind blew in my direction and her scent hit me like the force of the explosion that brought her here to this moment.

For all my eighty seven years as a vampire, no one came close to her scent. A hundred times sweeter than anything or anyone I've ever smelled, the monster inside me was growling in anticipation to quench that thirst and satisfy that burning in my throat. I could already see it. How easy a prey. It was just a matter of jumping to that pit, finding her throat and drinking all of her.

"Edward! No! Emmett! Grab him! Jazz, move away from here now!" Alice's words were in a rush but I wasn't paying any attention. My mouth was already filled with venom and I instantly coiled my body, getting ready for the kill.

Strong hands suddenly grabbed my arms and pinned it to my back.

I didn't bother to know who it was. All that mattered now was that I needed to satisfy the monster inside me. I wanted to savor that flavor, to taste every last drop of that elixir that is her blood.

"Edward." Someone was calling me from my side. I tried to break free but the hold was too strong. I can feel other hands on my shoulders trying to keep me down.

_ C'mon bro! Snap out of it! Get a grip of yourself! _

It was Emmett, he was the strongest in the family and he was trying his best to keep me from moving. If we were ordinary humans, bones could have already been broken by the strength that we were exerting.

I needed to break away. I need to drink. I need her blood.

Someone blocked my view from my soon-to-be victim.

"Son…" The voice was strong and I growled instinctively escaped from my mouth in response.

I looked up and met Carlisle's golden eyes, those eyes that proved how we were different from our kind. How we chose to be different by not killing humans.

_ Edward. Please son, be strong. You can do this. _

I saw myself from Carlisle's eyes and mind. The face that I saw was unrecognizable. It was the face of a monster and it snapped me back to my senses.

I looked around my family. Jasper was a few feet away from us. He was still new to the vegetarian lifestyle and I could see that he was struggling as well but Alice was there beside him keeping him in control.

Emmett still had my hands pinned. Rosalie and Esme were each holding my shoulder to keep me from moving.

I could still smell her delicious blood and my neck stiffened. I held my breath and cut off my senses since I didn't really need to breathe to stay alive. As irritating it was to be deprived of my senses, I had to do it if I want to keep the monster from coming out. I will not give in.

Carlisle saw the change in my expression and his face was filled with relief and understanding.

_ Do you need to go? _

I gave a slight nod.

"It's okay Emmet, Rose, Esme. Let him go."

The two women moved away immediately and Emmett, although hesitated, eventually let go but stayed rooted to the spot in case I would do anything stupid.

I stared once more at my father and there was no judgment on his face and on his mind. He looked even apologetic. He thought this would have never happened if he hadn't made the first move to come here.

"I'm sorry Edward but if you must go, we will not stop you. Do whatever you need to do. I know you can get through this. I believe in you."

But I couldn't even believe in myself anymore.

Instead of saying it out loud and try explaining my behavior to them, I turned and ran.

I needed to get away as far as I can. Not just to get away from the temptation but to get away from the shame that I was feeling. I showed weakness in front of my family and not only that, I loathed myself for thinking about attacking my family just to get to her.


	3. Chapter 3

I went straight home and grabbed my Volvo. It was a good thing that my car had a full tank because the lesser stops, the better. I could always run all the way but having the car kept me distracted from my own monstrous nature.

I was already unconsciously driving towards the direction of the Denali's in Alaska. They were considered extended family having developed a conscience and living the same way we do, drinking animals blood instead of humans.

I cringed at the thought of blood. Her smell still lingered on my mind and it was enough for the monster to surface.

I was disgusted with myself. I knew I haven't always been the model for control having broken from the lifestyle and tasting human blood but after that, I was able to get back on track for my family. Now after almost a century, all my control, self-denial, my reserve, it all crumbled because of that human!

But Alas! That sweet smell... It was just so delicious and the burn in my throat intensified, wanting to be relieved. I could already imagine the satisfaction the moment her warm blood would enter into my system.

I automatically hit on the brakes and the car screeched to a stop.

I needed to hunt. If I could fill my body with animal blood, maybe it can drown the craving for that woman.

Who was I kidding? No amount of animal blood could ever make me forget that smell.

* * *

It felt like time stood still. It's been forty eight hours since I had stopped to quench my thirst with whatever game I could find in the Olympic Peninsula before heading straight to Alaska. After overfeeding myself, it still felt lacking. Now that I know something sweeter is out there? Would I ever be satisfied with anything less?

I closed my eyes to erase the image of the unconscious woman in my head and the sweet smell that accompanied it.

I tried staying with the Denali's. Tanya, Irina, Kate, Carmen and Eleazar. They were welcoming but their questions were starting to bother me. I knew that I owe them an explanation for the unannounced visit, but I did not have it in me to tell them why. They stopped the questioning eventually, but I could still hear their minds. So, I decided to tell them that I was just passing by.

Tanya wanted me to stay. Ever since our families met, she had made me her personal mission being the only single vampire in our family. I did not look at her in that way and she knew that, but she still tries now and then. I never wanted to lead her on so that was another reason I left hurriedly.

I didn't want to go back yet so halfway towards town where I had left my car in a hotel, I stopped dead in my tracks and there I stood staring at the night sky. I didn't really realize that I was already buried waist deep in the snow. It didn't matter. I just stood there like a statue, buried and forgotten by time.

I opened my eyes and saw her face.

Why me? I should have been stronger. I wanted to be stronger. Surely this was just some little trick that the universe conspired just for the sake of it. Am I being tested? And if so, for what? Have I already been damned enough as it is? 

I contemplated on leaving and never going back but just the thought of it made me want to cry out in despair. Somewhere deep down inside me knew that if I leave, some part of me will never be whole and this was a feeling that I have never felt the first time that I left Carlisle to be on my own. This was different. My heart ached, just for the thought of leaving but why? Surely not because of the girl. 

I thought of my family. We have been through so much all these years. I thought about my brothers and sisters. Our personalities were so different that it was impossible for us not to get in each others nerves but we loved each other all the same. I thought about Carlisle and Esme, I could never have asked for better parents. They showed us such love that I couldn't dare disappoint them... again. I thought about the girl, how her sudden presence in our lives nearly caused me my family but could not give in. I did not want to give the monster the satisfaction that he so wanted. 

I was going to go back and when I return, I would be in control and I would be strong enough for my family and for myself.

Yes. I could see myself returning now. It felt so easy.

And just like that, my body reanimated.

On cue, my phone rang from my pocket. I looked at the caller id and saw Carlisle's name. I knew Alice had seen my decision.

"Carlisle?"

"Edward." I can hear the relief from his tone.

"Will you be able to return soon?"

"Did something come up?"

"Alice says you're returning and she saw the girl waking up in soon. I was hoping you would be here to assess the situation."

I didn't understand why they were still with the girl. I was assumed that they would be bringing her to the hospital by now. "Where is she?"

A slight pause. "Still unconscious in one of our spare rooms. I can explain when you return. I'm not trying to test your control son, but we could really use your skills"

I didn't know why but I felt there was a good reason why she was in our house. We all knew the implications if we were exposed to the humankind as vampires. Having the girl in the house complicated our existence and Carlisle knew that.

It wasn't about the girl herself that was dangerous to us. It was never the threat of humans that we were worried, but the threat of our kind, the Volturi. Composed of Aro, Cauis, and Marcus surrounded by their Volturi guards. They have policed our world for thousands of years to make sure that we do not commit the ultimate crime, exposure to the human world. Punishment for such crime was the ceasing of our existence in the hands of the Volturi, themselves.

Suddenly I felt agitated and somehow afraid. Not just because her presence might be dangerous to our family, but I also didn't know if I could keep the monster from resurfacing.

Nevertheless, I needed to go back. My ability to read minds was essential, what with our family's constant contact with the human world. We needed to know whose thoughts were spot on to what we really are so we can decide if we needed to disappear or not.

"Edward?" Carlisle was waiting for my answer.

"I'll be there"

"Then we will be waiting for you"

The call ended, and I rushed to get home, but I wanted to be prepared. I knew it wouldn't make much of a difference if I make one last hunt but I still had to try.

* * *

When I got out of the car, all my senses were on high alert. I couldn't understand the feeling of anticipation growing in my body. I wanted to see her again. I felt drawn to her just like a magnet. It's not just the blood but the mystery behind her.

Now that I thought about it, there was still the question of how she survived that blast or that fall. We all saw her and there was no mistake. We were already expecting to arrive at the scene with the body charred or crushed from the impact but there she was, unconscious with barely any scratch and smelling so delicious. I didn't know what to make of it. I should call her lucky for surviving everything but then again, she could also be the unluckiest person in the world having to go through disaster after disaster. Getting blown up, being engulfed in flames while falling thousands of feet then crash landing in a place infested with vampires with one particularly desiring her blood.

It looks like I wasn't the only one being taunted by the Universe.

When I opened the door, I wasn't expecting anything less. The house was filled with her scent that the only thing that kept me from barging into the room upstairs and drinking her blood was that tiny ounce of self-control that I was painstakingly maintaining.

"Good you're here." Alice and the others we're all standing together near the staircase waiting for me to join them

"It's time"


	4. Silence

We were all crowded inside one of our previously vacant room that was now instantly transformed into a hospital-like ward probably because of this situation.

Carlisle was standing near the edge of the bed and he stood in an angle where he would be able to keep an eye on her but still be able to see my expression once he tries to communicate with me. Esme was sitting in a chair at the far side of the room with Rosalie and Alice sitting on the armrest on each side while Jasper and Emmett stood beside me at the entrance.

The burn was excruciating but I had to bear it. I held my breath from time to time to keep the scent from washing over me but when the feeling was too uncomfortable, I would inhale a lungful and it would start destroying my resolve all over again. That was the reason Jasper and Emmett was near me, to keep me from doing something that I would regret later.

"mmm..." She was starting to stir, and all our attention were now focused on her. Everyone was tense that even Jasper, who has the ability of controlling the emotions of everyone around him, was having a hard time trying to keep everyone calm.

Her eyes fluttered for a few seconds until it focused straight up to the ceiling and then her eyebrows furrowed, and I was suddenly fascinated by the expression on her face, the thirst momentarily taking a backseat.

We were still as a statue that it took her a few seconds to realize that she had an audience. Her eyes traveled to her spectators one by one until her eyes met mine. Hers was the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that I have ever seen. Those eyes were looking at me with such intensity that I would think she was looking deep into my soulless being.

We were both transfixed until I saw her gaze shifted and I knew that she was studying my features. Her eyes grew wide as if a realization just hit her and we all saw the change in her expression, not to mention the rate of her heart beating faster.

_Edward, how bad is it?_

Carlisle was not making any sudden movement, yet the tone of his mind was alarmed.

That was when I realized that the voices in my mind were missing one.

I concentrated hard trying to find her thoughts but there was nothing. I tried focusing on the thoughts of everyone around me, trying to identify which voice was which.

All my family members were accounted for. Maybe I wasn't focused enough or maybe she was not thinking at all, but I could see the expression in her eyes, they were full of questions and yet I could not hear the thoughts behind it.

I couldn't believe it... I couldn't read her mind.

They were waiting for me to give them a signal if everything was all right, but I didn't know what to tell them. All I could do was slowly shake my head.

Hmmm... Another first with this girl.

_Is there any danger son?_

I moved my head slightly sideways answering "no" to his question.

Looking at her innocent face, how can there be any danger coming from her? I just hope that I was right.

"Where am I?" Her first words.

I thought that after hearing her speak, it would help me pinpoint her thoughts, but I was still greeted with disappointment.

"My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family. " Carlisle gestured to all of us in the room. He was using his doctor's tone that usually provided reassurance to his patients.

"You're in our home and we found you in the woods unconscious"

She was looking at my father now, clearly not hiding the surprise from her face. Surely, she could sense the higher bell-like tone of Carlisle's voice and realize that there was something different about us.

_Is she trying to make assumptions about us? Is she close to the truth?_

Jasper thought. I could only move my head sideways but not to answer the question but really because I didn't know.

She didn't speak for a few seconds and it worried me. Usually humans have already made their impression about us after they got a better look at our beautiful features or hear our musical voices but since I didn't have an inkling on what she's thinking, there's no way for me to really know the extent of the danger for exposure.

"Do you remember anything that happened to you or how you got here?"

"I... I'm not sure"

She stared down at her hands and I wanted so much to lift her chin up with my fingers, so I could see her lovely eyes. My body tensed at the thought of touching her.

"Can you try to remember?"

Carlisle urged kindly, but I saw her face distort trying to think hard. If only I knew what she was thinking, I wouldn't be feeling this frustrated!

"Aaaggghhh!"

A shot of pain crossed her features and her body suddenly buckled while clutching her head. It took all my self-control to keep myself from darting to her side, but Carlisle was already there.

"Are you hurt?" He was touching the back of her head looking for any bumps or concussions.

"Yes..." she finally said after a few seconds. "I was trying to remember what happened but... I... I... can't"

"We'll, you hit your head pretty hard" Emmett finally spoke. He seems to be the only one who relaxed.

Everyone except the girl glared at him. He sat down on the floor cross-legged and leaned his back on the wall, trying to keep the human facade.

"We thought you were dead" Emmett continued.

"Oh, how did I get here?" she asked confused.

"You fell" Was all Carlisle said. She understood the girl's situation and giving her too many details might not be good for her health especially when it means telling her that she fell thousands of feet from the sky while being engulfed in flames. That might not be a good idea.

"Is there anything else that you remember then? At least anything not related to what may have happened to you?" Carlisle tried to change the topic and that got me curious.

She tried concentrating again and I saw her wince in pain before giving up. There was a hint of fear in her eyes as she curled her body and hugged her knees.

"Bella" She whispered. We heard her clearly regardless.

"Is that your name?" My father asked, and she nodded without bothering to question why we were able to hear her say her name.

"Is that the only thing you remember?"

She hugged herself tightly and all she could do was nod in confusion.


	5. Exposure

Bella.

Her name lingered in my mind. The girl that threatened to awaken the monster inside me finally had a name.

_ Ugh. This is just great. A girl with no memories. Like we haven't heard of that before! _

My thoughts were interrupted by Rosalie's irritating mind. She was adoring her painted fingernails like any normal female human would do. I couldn't help but glare at her.

Esme was looking at her with sympathy.

_ Poor child. _

Alice was not paying attention. She was searching the future for any possible danger because of our situation. I followed her visions for a few seconds until I could see that there was nothing definite that was showing.

The situation just got even more unusual. I already felt exasperated knowing that any second, I could lose myself to my desire to drink her blood and it was already proving to be a drawback, not being able to read her thoughts , now it was topped off with her lost memories.

I was already contemplating a way to find out more about her but since she couldn't remember anything, there was nothing more to contemplate about anymore.

I have never tried exerting this much effort in trying to read someone before. I was used to just getting the information I wanted from their minds. Now, I'm going to have to get those information some other way. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know where she came from, why she was still alive. I wanted to know why I couldn't read her mind. I wanted to know why her blood smells so delicious to me.

Thinking about her blood made me cringe. It was painful, and I wanted to erase those thoughts.

I was too focused in trying to keep myself from losing control that I didn't realize that at the same moment I inhaled, Bella exhaled deeply, filling the room with her beautiful scent.

It caught me off guard and the monster finally saw the opportunity to break free.

A hiss escaped my mouth and before I knew it, my body had already sprung forward to attack the girl, only to be blocked by Carlisle.

Emmett and Jasper was in my side in an instant, grabbing each of my arms while Carlisle's strong hands were in my shoulder and he was trying to grab my attention. I was too focused on wanting her.

It was almost like the scene when we first saw her but this time, she was awake, and she saw everything. Our movements would be too fast for the human eyes but with the proximity and from where we were previously positioned, the difference was too obvious to ignore.

I looked over to Carlisle's shoulder only to meet her surprised eyes. I saw myself again, this time in her eyes. That brought me back to the present.

If I didn't know what she was thinking, her expression made up for it and it was clear as day. She knew we were different. I can see the shock and the realization reflected in her eyes as she never took it off me.

"You're not human".

That wasn't a question. I tried to read anything else from her face, but she was calm. I didn't even hear any fear from her words.

_ Hmmm… this rather complicates things. I might need to take care of this for all our sake. _

I was surprised by where Jasper's thoughts were heading, and I suddenly faced him.

"No" I gritted my teeth. Jasper was confused by my fierce expression. I was surprised.

_ Why not? we can't risk it. You don't have to be involved. She can't remember anything, and no one knows that she's here anyway. _

"You are not going to do anything" I said fiercely. I was defending her, the person that I longed to suck the life out of her body and I didn't know why.

No. I could not let him "take care" of the situation. It was unfair for her. This wasn't her fault.

I was the monster. If I had not tried attacking her, she wouldn't have seen past the human charade. We could have let her leave once she was okay and no harm would be done.

I was not going to let my brother hurt her.

"Please..." Bella begged in a grave tone and it caught as off guard. I looked at her questioningly and she was apologetic but still not scared.

"I'm sorry if I'm causing your family any distress"

Her words were confusing to all of us. I didn't understand. She knew we were different, but I don't see the panic or the screaming coming. With how I tried to attack her, she knew I intended to kill her and yet, she was apologizing for causing our family distress?!

"Why are you apologizing Bella? We should be the one to apologize for scaring you like that." It was Carlisle who voiced out, and it was her turn to look confused.

"Scared?"

"You said it yourself. We're not human. Do you have any idea what we are?" Carlisle asked cautiously.

Jasper was testing her emotions and I tried to read what he felt from her. Guilt, loneliness, distress but not fear... 

She looked at all of us again before answering.

"It doesn't matter" Her words stunned us, and I saw Carlisle about to speak but she held her hand up to let her continue.

"You see, it doesn't matter to me what you are because anytime you could've gotten rid of me, but you didn't. The fact that I'm alive right now means more to me than knowing what you really are. I don't have to know if you don't want to tell me. You're not obligated. All that matters to me is that your family saved me and for that I am grateful and I don't want to be the reason for you fighting each other" She pointedly looked at me on the last part.

That was quite a long speech that she gave, and I was aghast! How could she not care about what we are?! Doesn't she have any sense of self-preservation? Or maybe because she doesn't really know what we are.

"You can't say that." I finally spoke to her directly and a sense of familiarity came to me. "You don't know the extent of danger you're in" I looked deeply into her eyes and tried to send her a message that we were dangerous. I was dangerous and she shouldn't be anywhere near me, but it was disturbing that as much as I wanted to warn her, I also wanted her to trust us that we will not do anything to harm her, intentionally at least.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh shush Edward! No one's gonna harm her" Alice suddenly broke the tension as she bounced up from where she was sitting and we stood shocked when she sat on the bed beside her.

"Sorry Bella. My family, especially my brother here, is just being over dramatic. You're perfectly safe here. My name is Alice by the way" She held her hand out. I saw her look of surprise when she touched Alice's cold hard hands but she didn't seem to mind.

How could she say that Bella was safe here when I've already tried killing her, twice for that matter.

"She's not safe here" I tried to argue.

"If it's not safe then why bring me here in the first place?" Bella was the one to answer.

"We couldn't just leave you in the woods!" I almost shouted.

"I meant you could have brought me to a hospital or something but you brought me here"

I ran my hands thru my hair and sighed.

"Good question. I was wondering about that myself" I looked at Carlisle for an answer.

Carlisle was apologetic as he reasoned out "The circumstances that led us to you were quite unusual and I figured that because of that, you may have your own secret to keep. Now I guess we wouldn't be able to know what secret that is because of your lost memories."

Our secret was very important for us so I understood what Carlisle meant. It would be so hard if our secret would be exposed because of something that was uncontrollable like what happened to her.

"Oh don't worry Bella. You can stay here as long as you want" Alice cheerfully announced.

"What?!" Almost everyone in the room exclaimed.

I could feel the monster almost shouting in glee at the opportunity. So many opportunities…. I tried to tone down my mind and focus on the situation.

"Oh come on Edward. Give yourself some credit! You're stronger than you think. You're not going to do anything to harm Bella" The way Alice spoke of her name sounded like they were already best buddies. Then I saw it, the reason why Alice was so confident. I wasn't able to catch this vision earlier. Bella and me lying side by side in the middle of my favorite meadow while the sun casting rainbows in my glittering skin. Bella was looking at me without any fear but such wonder in her eyes and something else that I couldn't seem to grasp. Then the scene changed. Alice had her arms around her and Bella was laughing. She didn't seem to be bothered by Alice's closeness.

"See"

I stood open mouthed as this vision kept playing in my head. The one image that stuck was the one of me and Bella. It was something that I never would have anticipated. How could I even let it lead to something like that? Even if that might be true, how could she choose to be with someone like me? Someone who wants to suck the life out of her?

"C'mon guys! Not again with that silent stuff!" Emmett grumbled. He always hated it when Alice and I had our silent exchange.

"Alright, that's enough. Everybody get out. Bella needs to get some rest." Alice stood up and was gesturing for all of us to go outside.

"Wait! I...uhmm... I appreciate you all doing this for me but... I don't want to be a burden to all of you. I can find someplace to stay..." Bella finally spoke.

"And where do you think you'll be going? You don't have any money." Alice pointed out.

"I can find a way..." she said uncertainly.

"We can't let you leave" Carlisle started to say.

"I won't tell anyone about you. Well, there's no one to tell anyway. I don't think I know anyone here" She defended. My father smiled reassuringly.

"Bella, I can see that we can trust you. It's not that. You've been through an accident and your memories are lost. As a doctor I don't recommend you going on your own. That's why you're here in the first place. So I can keep an eye on your condition. Maybe if you can start remembering then you can decide if you would like to leave."

It was just like Carlisle to trust so easily and I couldn't see why not. Even I can sense the truth in her words, even if I can't read her mind.

There's just going to be a bit of a problem if she's going to stay here 24/7. Jasper is just new to the lifestyle and having her scent in the house might not be a good idea. Not to mention I'm very much drawn to her blood regardless of how long I've been with our diet.

"Carlisle, don't you think it's a bad idea to have her and Edward in the same roof considering he's been trying to attack her every time she's near?" Jasper pointed out. I growled at him.

"Are we really going to do this?!" Rosalie was furious.

"Rose..." Emmett started to say.

She looked at me in irritation.

"Yeah... just let the human live in a house infested with vampires" She said in a sarcastic way and all of us gasped including Bella.

"You're a..." Bella struggled to say the word out loud and I groaned. _Way to go Rosalie._

_"_ What?! It's not like she's not going to find out eventually. I'm not playing charades in my own house just to keep the human in the dark" Rosalie stormed out of the room with Emmett following behind, trying to catch up.

Bella stared at the door after Rosalie left.

"No..." She started to say.

"I will keep your secret but if I'm the reason that you're all fighting, it might be best if I don't stay." She tried to stand up but Alice stopped her.

"Nonsense. Please don't mind Rosalie, she'll get over it. We want to help you Bella and you don't have to worry. No one here is going to harm you. Right Edward?" Alice smiled knowingly. _We're going to be best friends Edward and you're going to find it in you to keep her safe. I know that._

How can Alice put her trust in me when I don't even know if I can trust myself?

"I'm not really worried about you harming me" Her words surprised us. Up until now, I still have not seen any hint of fear from her, even Jasper was perplexed at the emotions that she was showing. 

"Then there's no reason for you not to stay" She bit her lower lip unconsciously and my eyes were drawn at the movement. It caused the monster inside me to stir and I had to grit my teeth to keep myself in control. 

"So... you're really vampires?" She asked tentatively and her eyes traveled to each one of us as if to look for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes seems to linger in mine a little bit longer and I felt a sudden disappointment when she broke eye contact and then I saw a blush forming in her cheeks. The monster rejoiced at the sight. I felt Jasper tense beside me and I cut off my senses. He was feeling my thirst. I had to keep the monster at bay. Being attacked by one member of the family was already enough.

"Yes but we only drink animals blood. Sometimes it can be a bit difficult for some of us but we have been able to maintain this lifestyle for a long time now." Carlisle explained to her and she nodded as if in understanding.

"Me being here..." She started tentatively. "I don't want it to be any more difficult for all of you." Bella was gesturing at me and Jasper and I was surprised to see that she took notice of Jasper's struggle as well. She was _very_ observant.

_ That's odd. She's more worried about how it would be hard for us than worrying about her own safety. _ Carlisle thought.

Alice was looking at her mate. She probably cares for Bella but Jasper always came first. I saw were her thoughts were leading and I realized that I was hoping that it may actually work out.

"There's a small ruin just across the river from us. I'm sure Esme can work her magic on that place. Esme?"

Esmes eyes lit up.

"Of course. I can work on it right away!" She replied delightfully.

Bella was looking at Alice questioningly.

"Esme loves restoring houses so it won't be a problem. In the meantime, there's a spare room at the end of the hallway. We'll get you settled there and since we're going to _school_ during the day, Carlisle to the hospital and Esme working on that restoration, you'll have the house all to yourself"

"That's just too much" Bella mumbled.

"Oh think none of it. You're our guest" Alice smiled.


	7. Guest

It's been a week since Bella stayed in our house. I've been trying to avoid her as much as I can but it really didn't do anything to the burning in my throat, what with her scent fixed inside the house.

It was quite fascinating to know that the day after we let her stay, she didn't leave her room until we have left for school. I only found out the reason when I asked Alice about it and I heard the conversation from her mind.

_ "Bella, why don't you come out? It's already morning" _

_ "Nope, I'm okay. I'll be out when you guys are gone for school." Bella answered without opening the door. _

_ "And that's because…?" _

_ "I don't want all of you to be uncomfortable with me around. The less you see me in the house, the better" _

_ "Hah! As if that's going to make a difference! We can smell you even from outside the house!" Alice laughed _

_ "Still..." _

_ "Fine. But you best be ready when we get back from school because you're coming with me" _

_ The door burst open and Bella's face was inches from Alice's, clearly surprised. I cringed at the same time as Alice flinched in her memory at the smell of Bella's scent. _

_ "Oh Sorry" she smiled apologetically. Alice had to compose herself. _

_ "Ahm, where are we going?" _

_ "Why shopping of course! You can't just stay in those pajamas all day!" _

_ Bella looked down at her pajamas which she had been wearing the day before. _

_ "What's wrong with the Pajamas?" _

_ "Really?" Alice raised her eyebrow. _

_ "But -" She silenced her with her fingers. "No Buts- I'll fetch you later after class" Alice closed the door and went her way. _

_ "Crazy vampire" Bella muttered under her breath from her room and Alice laughed. _

I couldn't help but chuckle at her. She has a totally different reaction from what I was expecting but it was clear that they were already comfortable with each other.

"You're going hunting tonight Bro?" Emmett teased as he got in the back of my car between Jasper and Rosalie while Alice saw beside me. We were on our way home from school.

"You could never be too cautious with a human in the house" Jasper said.

"Right. Like it's already not taunting enough, why not put a sign at her back that says "drink me" "Rosalie smirked and I glared at her.

"Rose's just joking" Emmett laughed.

"Oh come on. Just think of it this way." Alice said. "The more that Bella is near, the more Edward will get used to her scent."

"Like being desensitized? Hmmm that could work" Jasper replied and I liked the thought.

As much as I would like to admit it, I wanted to be near her without endangering her life. It could have been triggered by Alice's vision of me and her together. Now, I was no longer just drawn by her blood but by also some deep emotion that was slowly being awakened inside of me.

When we arrived home, I left my car in the garage and went straight to hunting. It took me the whole afternoon and when I came back, I noticed Bella's scent stronger across the river where Esme was doing the renovation.

My curiosity peaked and I made my way towards them and stopped silently a few feet from the site. Bella was sitting cross legged on top of a boulder that was intentionally placed there. She was facing what was now a house or more so like a cottage. What difference could a week make with a vampire doing the construction. Esme was enjoying what she was doing and it showed from her work. From the pile of rubble that it was before, now stood a small cottage. The outside view was already completed and it looked like Esme was already finishing up with the interior. Emmett and Jasper had been helping Esme after classes so it took even lesser time for the cottage to be built.

From where I was standing, I could see Bella's face fascinated by the work in front of her. With her, we didn't have to pretend to be human. I could see Esme inside moving in vampire speed while assembling the bathroom door.

I went back to staring at Bella and a mixture of emotions flooded through me. There was the burning pain and I understood that it will always be there and I would have to get used to it. There's also this fear that I might slip up and hurt her. Then there's this fascination, for the mind that I couldn't read and for the face that shows so much emotions that it's as good as reading her mind. And lastly, that certain feeling that was growing inside me, something that I have never felt in all of my life.

I noticed her stiffen as if sensing someone was watching her and in instinct, she whirled her head to her side and caught me staring. Her eyes lit up at the sight of me and I felt an overwhelming gladness at her reaction.

I wanted to be closer to her. I inhaled deeply letting the smell of the woods mixed with Bella's wash over me.

_ hmmm... tolerable _

I was at her side in an instant and she didn't even flinch.

"It's lovely" She gestured to the house.

"I know" But I wasn't looking at the house. I didn't know why I said that but when she saw me staring, her cheeks turned scarlet. I didn't even mind the burning now.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" I was taken aback by the question.

"Why? Do you want me to go away?" I tried hiding the bitterness in my tone.

"No!" Bella quickly answered then blushed. "I meant, with my blood and all, it must be hard for you..."

I sighed in relief. I stared hard at her eyes and smiled and I saw her expression going momentarily blank. I had to laugh. She was still worried about me instead of herself. How odd. 

Carlisle had to explain to Bella how her blood appealed to me more than any other scent but had assured her that I was strong enough to resist doing anything that could harm her. I appreciated my father having faith in my ability, even if I had my doubts but the more I was with Bella, the more I was starting to get a sense of control of the burn. Alice was right. Being near her does help.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it" It took a while before she was able to answer.

"Ahm, that's good" She tried going back to paying attention to the cottage but I can sense that she was already distracted.

I could have stared at her all day but I noticed the forest slowly giving way to darkness.

"Have you eaten?" I asked a little worried. I should check the kitchen if we still had human food stocked.

"Oh..I'm afraid not. What time is it?"

"It's already past seven"

"Wow I totally forgot about the time"

"How long have you been here?"

"The whole day?" She seemed unsure "I went to find Esme to ask if there were some food in the pantry but I got sidetracked here" She explained sheepishly.

"Mom, I'm taking Bella to dinner"


	8. Conversations

If I was being honest with myself, I was looking for a reason to be by Bella's side and I was just making her human needs as an excuse.

Esme appeared beside us and was feeling sorry.

_Oh my Edward. I didn't even think about her. I was too focused on finishing the house today!_

"Bella! Forgive me! How insensitive of me! I should have let you eat!"

"No, no, no... that's okay Esme. It's my fault. I forgot the time" Bella was reassuring a vampire. It was so out of place.

"Son, please look after Bella. I'm afraid we no longer have human food in the house."

"Don't worry mom, I'll take care of it."

Esme held her hand she longer flinched at the coldness. "I'd like to take care of it myself, but it's almost done" Esme's excitement over the house was clear in her voice. It's been a while since she did some restoration.

"I just need to get some furniture in there and you're all set for tonight when you get back" Esme was all smiles.

"Oh Esme, you don't have to place any furniture. This is already too much" She gestured at the small house. "And it's so beautiful" She added sincerely.

"Thank you dear and no, it's no big deal. The house won't be complete if there won't be any things inside. All right Edward, go get Bella something to eat" Esme was making sure Bella won't be able to protest and I greatly obliged.

"Let's go" I grabbed Bella's hands in the intent of dragging her someplace to eat and I felt a sudden spark igniting from where our hands connected, running towards my whole being and we looked at each other at the same time. It looked like she felt that too and before I could let myself think of anything, I dragged her back towards the house leaving Esme to continue her work.

_I do hope they could get to know each other more... Bella is not afraid of us and Edward has been alone far too long. He deserves to be happy..._

I caught Esme's thoughts and I realized Alice had already told her of her vision.

I couldn't believe my mother was... hopeful.

I drove her to Port Angeles for dinner and that was the first time that we were alone together. When we arrived, there were only a few people around but I was able to get us a seat in one corner that was away from the rest of the crowd. We were silent after she had her order taken and until the food arrived and I smiled when I saw her heartily devouring her meal.

"Hungry?" I teased, and she looked up with her face turning a shade of scarlet. It was suddenly my favorite thing to see even if it meant I had to endure the burning in my throat at the site.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was that hungry" She finished her food in a matter of minutes.

"More?" I asked enjoying this moment. I wanted to prolong the time we had alone. She nodded shyly, and I called for the waiter to get her more food and some chocolate Ice Cream for dessert. When the food arrived, she easily finished that off as well but when she started eating the ice cream, she slowed down and was looking at her food thoughtfully.

I bet she had a lot of questions right now. I knew that she had not been able to really talk with us about what we are. We were never in the house all the time and when we were all together, she would try to keep herself hidden in her room.

Alice would talk about shopping and any other girl stuff when they were together. Carlisle was able to talk to her when he was checking up on her condition but other than telling her about how her scent is much more potent for me, they were not able to talk about anything else. She never even asked and it's not for the lack of interest because when Carlisle would picture her in his mind, her eyes were full of curiosity but she chose not to say anything until now.

I braced myself for her scent then leaned towards her, our faces just a few inches away from each other.

"If there's something you want to know, just ask" I told her in my most endearing voice. I wanted her to feel comfortable around me so she would not be afraid to ask but when our eyes met, I was momentarily mesmerized by the depth of her gaze. I had the sudden urge to touch her face, to know how it would feel beneath my cold hands.

A clatter at the table nearest us broke the spell and Bella blinked twice.

"Stop doing that" She accused.

"Do what?"

"You know, trying to mesmerize people" She said shyly as she tried to focus on eating her dessert. Was I mesmerizing her? I thought it was the other way around. Interesting. I smiled.

"I apologize for "mesmerizing you" but as I was saying, whatever is on your mind right now, please don't be afraid to ask" I told her. She looked at me intently then sighed, filling the air with her beautiful scent. The burn in my throat reminded me that there was still a part of me that desired her blood and yet the desire to not harm her was stronger now than ever.

"Alright." She started. "I don't have my memories, but I do have a general knowledge about, you know, what you are" She continued in a low voice.

"And…"

"I'm Curious…" Here we go. All the common misconception about our nature made up by humans.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen"

"And how long have you been seventeen?"

"...a while" She merely smiled at the answer before continuing.

"Garlic?" I had to hide the amusement in my face.

"Nope"

"Stake to the heart?"

"Even if a human can get that close, nope"

"Fire?"

"In a way. But you'll have to tear us into pieces for that to work" She shuddered.

"Ahmm, daylight?"

"No, but it has a different effect on us that's why we don't go outside when there's sunlight. I'll show you someday." The image of us in the meadow that I saw on Alice's vision came to mind and I was suddenly eager for that image to become a reality. Is this how it would happen? Would she even trust me to be alone with her?

"Oh Okay" She smiled curiously, interrupting my thoughts.

"Are you trying to find a way to kill us?" I looked at her teasingly and she sat up straight.

"No! Of course not! Please don't think of it that way Edward, I was just curious" I didn't pay attention to her response as much as I paid attention to how she said my name.

"Besides, I think I already have an idea how everything works with you." It was my turn to be curious.

"Really, How so?"

"Let's see. I already get that you drink animals blood instead of... the traditional way". I chuckled.

"It's funny how you think that it's a vampires tradition to drink human blood"

Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips formed a pout. It was adorable to look at. "You know what I mean"

"Right, right. Sorry. Please do continue"

"You don't eat human food. You're fast and strong. Some of you have abilities like you, Alice and Jasper. You don't sleep and… you have a strong sense of smell. Did I get that right?"

"Impressive Bella." She was indeed very observant.

"There's something else I'm curious about" Her tone sounded nervous and I could see the blush on her cheeks again.

"Yes?"

"The others. Carlisle and Esme. Alice and Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie. They all share a very intimate bond with each other….is that a thing with... your kind?"

Ahhh, the mating bond. How would I explain this to her?

"For us... we experience everything to the extreme so if we fall in love... that feeling never fades away and we are bound by that love for eternity." She smiled.

"Oh, like a soulmate!" I can understand how she would think of it that way but I didn't want to contradict her and I nodded.

Her earlier hesitation returned and she was suddenly focusing on the empty plate in front of her. I was resisting the urge to lift her chin up so I can continue to look into her eyes.

"Have you ever…?" She didn't complete the question but she didn't have to. I knew what she was asking but I shook my head.

"No..."

"One more question"

"Go ahead"

"Is that only applicable to... like... is it possible for you to find that bond ahm... from someone outside of your ...kind?" I blinked in surprise at the question. Her heart was beating faster.

"I...I...don't know" I told her truthfully.

"Do you think... that you would be able to find... the one... for you?" her words were almost in a whisper.

"That's more than one question" I moved an inch closer. She looked up and I held her gaze.

"You don't have to answer" She looked like she wanted to take it back but it was already too late.

"Right now... I'd like to think that I no longer need to look anywhere else...I'd already found what I'm looking for" Bella's heart skipped a beat and if I had a heart, mine would have too.


	9. Realization

True enough, when we got back from Dinner, Esme already had the cottage completed.

Some of the furniture that we kept in the attic were transferred to the cottage. There was a small mahogany table in the middle of the living room and two couches. The floor was covered with a brown carpet that complimented the color of the forest outside.

"It's getting late. I better let you sleep" I walked her through the door. Deep down, I didn't want to go.

"I'm not sleepy. How about you? Anything interesting to do tonight?" She asked.

I smiled. I liked how she's trying to make conversation, but I really wanted her to get some rest.

"Go to sleep Bella." Reluctantly, I started to move away from the house.

"Edward."

I looked back and she was staring like she wanted to say something important but decided not to. These were the times when I wish I could hear her thoughts.

"Thank you...for tonight" I smiled and nodded, reluctantly leaving her in her new little home.

When I went inside the big house, I went straight to the grand piano. I let my hands wander in the keys until the sound weaved into a soft melody.

I heard the surprised thoughts of my family. It's been a while since I've played, and I let the music flow to a new tune that came to me when I thought about her. It was a melody so soft, so full of promise yet ends in uncertainty and sadness.

Once the music ended, I went straight to my room.

I stood in the middle of the room, looking around at my surrounding. Something was missing... I wanted to do something... no, I needed to be with her. I've never been this... anxious before. After the restaurant, I wanted to be by her side all the time. She was like a magnet to me, drawing me to her blood, to her every being.

I was pacing inside my room thinking of something else to do aside from going to her. I didn't have this problem when she was still inside the house.

It didn't help that I could hear Emmett and Jasper's thoughts about their bet if I was going to be stalking Bella tonight at the cottage.

It took me an hour before I could decide to go to the cottage. I wasn't really stalking. I just needed to check on Bella to make sure that she's okay being alone in the cottage and since I'm the only one who didn't have anything to do, I should be the one to go. Emmett was already collecting his money from the bet when I left.

I heard Bella's even breathing when I arrived outside the cottage and seeing the details inside Esme's mind, I walked directly towards the back to a mini garden.

A glass door connected her room to the garden which stood ajar. Bella didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking in and if someone in our family would decide to get inside, that someone probably being me, a locked door wouldn't really make any difference but still, it made it easier for me.

The door slid open noiselessly and I was greeted with the intensity of Bella's blood. It was a painfully welcoming feeling.

The room was large and simple. It only had a small desk, a chair, a walk-in closet that would probably be full in a matter of days courtesy of Alice and the bed where Bella lay.

Her blanket covered half of her body and I saw that she was wearing one of the new pajamas that Alice got for her. Her face was half covered with her hair and I resisted the urge to touch her.

Looking at her sleeping feature, I tried to recall our conversation earlier. She had been silent on the way home and I was too afraid to ask. Her reaction earlier gave me hope that maybe, even just a tiny bit, she can regard me as someone she can be with romantically.

I know that I was getting my hopes up but didn't she imply from her question earlier? She wanted to know if a human can be considered a vampire's mate. She could just be curious or she could be considering herself. But if she was, I should be happy but why was I afraid? Was it because I'm a Vampire? A soulless monster who desired her blood? One wrong move and she can walk away from me or I might hurt her or worse, I might accidentally kill her. I winced from the imaginary pain.

Is this how it feels?

The realization that my existence no longer mattered without her was such a revelation. It was like a wall crumbling down exposing me to the truth. The truth that I am in love with this woman and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she is happy. My thirst no longer mattered. I will be strong enough to resist her blood just to keep her safe from the monster inside me.

I walked towards the side of the bed and slowly sat beside her as not to disturb her sleep. My hands instinctively reached out towards the stray hair that covered part of her face.

"Edward" My hand froze. Was she awake? I didn't want her to feel like I was being a voyeur or something.

"Edward, please stay..." This time, her voice was full of longing. I looked intently at her face and saw that she was in a deep sleep. She was dreaming... she was dreaming of me. My cold body suddenly felt warm and I knew then that I needed to tell her how I feel. I needed to declare my love for her and the meadow seemed to be the perfect place for just that.

I brushed the stray hair from her face and stood up. I need to prepare myself. I need to show her who I am and tell her how I feel. But first, I need to hunt. I don't care if I have to hunt everyday as long as I make sure that Bella would be safe with me.


	10. Meadow

Bella was still sleeping when I got back from my hunt. I had to stop by the house for a change of clothes before I made myself comfortable in the only chair inside her room.

The sun was already high up when Bella started to stir. She opened her eyes to gaze around her surroundings and when she caught sight of me, her face immediately lit up and she sat up straight.

"You're here" The happiness in her voice was clear.

"Good Morning" I stood from the chair to sit beside her in bed. She didn't even mind the closeness now.

She was looking at me strangely.

"Your eyes. They're beautiful. Your golden eyes mean you just fed right?" I had to smile.

"Your casual way of asking me if I just fed baffles me knowing what my diet is Bella but yes, I made a quick run before coming back here."

"Coming back? So, you've been here almost the entire night?" Her brows furrowed.

"In a way. I hope you don't find it creepy."

"Oh no, I find it ahm, adorable" She replied shyly." I hope you didn't get bored watching me sleep"

"Hmmm, I don't think I'll ever get bored watching you sleep Bella and besides, you talk in your sleep" I couldn't help but comment. She looked at me horrified and it took a while before she could ask.

"Oh God, what did I say?" She buried her face in her hands with embarrassment.

"You spoke my name." I replied nonchalantly. She buckled her body away from me.

"No, no, no, no!" She panicked.

"Bella, there's nothing to be ashamed of, I actually find it... adorable"

"Go away!" She kept her face buried in her hands.

"Oh Bella, if I could sleep, I would want to dream of you..." And that was true. She looked up and there was that look of fascination on her face again. As much as I wanted to keep this conversation in bed going, I already had plans for the day.

"Come on, time for your breakfast. We're going somewhere" I stood up and she quickly got out of the bed.

"Where to?" She asked curiously.

"You want to know what happens to us against the sun, right?"

* * *

Clouds were still covering the sky when we left with the car, but Alice had already seen that there would be plenty of sunlight when we would arrive at our destination. When I found the trail half an hour later, I stopped at the side of the road and got out, followed by Bella who was looking around her surroundings.

"We walk from here. I hope you don't mind a little bit of hiking" I told her and she smiled, waiting for me to lead the way.

There was a trail that led to a deeper part of the woods, but I led her to the opposite direction. The trees were starting to be thicker and the walk more challenging as we were slowly walking on higher ground but when I looked back to check on Bella, she seems to be able to keep up with the pace and not even a hint of tiredness can be shown on her features. We were actually making good time because we were almost there.

"So" She started to say after a few minutes of walking. She was calmly looking around her surroundings.

"Dense forest...vampire alone with a human... no witnesses...a perfect crime scene. Hmmm, nobody is going to see my body for days... or ever" I froze in my tracks. How could she even think that!

I felt her body bump into me and she stopped when she saw the incredulous look on my face.

"You know that was a joke, right?" She raised her eyebrow at me. I was aghast. That's not something to joke about considering what I was capable of! I can't believe she's taking this lightly.

"Bella, please don't joke about that. I would never do anything that can hurt you. I would not forgive myself if I lose control when I'm with you. I can't let anything happen to you" I was rambling, and I was having a hard time shaking off the image from my head.

I felt a warm hand in my arms and she looked at me with full of confidence and reassurance in her eyes.

"Edward. I know" She smiled. "Alright, I'm sorry about the joke but I trust you."

She walked past me and stopped. I heard her intake of breath and when I turned around, we have already arrived.

Just in front of us was an opening in the forest where the light of the sun became a spotlight to a small round spot filled with wildflowers. The view was breathtaking especially with Bella slowly moving towards the center of the meadow as if in trance.

She stood under the glow like an Angel being bathed by the warmth of the sun. I was suddenly afraid of showing her what I look like. Beside her, I would be a freak, a true monster.

She whirled around to face me, but I was hesitant to step out from the shade that the trees provided. Bella held out her hand beckoning me to come to her and like a moth attracted to a flame, I closed my eyes and walked towards her.

I could already feel the light refracting from every part of my skin and I stopped after a few steps. I could hear her increasing heartbeat as she now stood in front of me.

"You are beautiful" I could her the awe in her voice and I opened my eyes.

"I'm a freak"

"No, you're not. You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen"

"You can't say that"

"Yes, I can because it's true" She argued.

"You don't understand" I said in exasperation. In a blink of an eye, I jumped towards a fallen tree at the edge of the meadow.

"I'm fast" She turned towards my voice.

I uprooted a small tree and threw it across the meadow.

"I'm strong"

I moved towards where the tree fell and her eyes easily followed.

"Yet anytime, I could hide this and blend in just like any normal human being. But This..." I slowly walked towards the light, careful not to scare her. "This separates me, us, from the rest. This is the reason why no matter how much we blend in, we are still monsters."

"I am still a monster," I emphasized. "A monster who craves for your blood and a monster who loves you more than my very existence."

My body instinctively moved closer towards her and when our bodies touched, a desire deep within me exploded like fire. It was a human desire that I have yet to experience, far more intense than the desire to drink her blood. Suddenly, I wanted to touch her face, feel the warmth of her lips in mine. I wanted so much to kiss her. My head lowered until our lips were almost touching and when it did, I wasn't prepared at what it did to me. 

I couldn't seem to get enough. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and my hands circled around her bringing her closer to me. Her body responded to the kiss with much enthusiasm and our kiss deepened.

I was suddenly overpowered by the smell of Bella's blood when she exhaled directly to me and I wanted more of it. My lips slowly moved to the side of her lips and down towards her neck. I could already see the veins were the delicious blood was flowing. Just one tear, and I could taste it... Just one...

"Edward" Bella moaned, and I froze.

What have I done?

I stood as still as a statue and it took Bella a few seconds to realize that I wasn't responding. I cut out all my senses until I could feel my control slowly coming back. Too close... that was too close. If she didn't speak, I could have... she could have... This was wrong. I was a fool to think this was going to work. I was sentencing her to death just by being with me.

She was looking at me intently. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"Do you realize what I was about to do to you?" I said through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean?" I can't believe she was not aware how close I was to killing her?

"I almost lost control... I almost killed you" I said in a grave tone. Bella slowly backed away from me and it felt like my body was being ripped apart with every step she made.

"I can understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore." I couldn't hide the agony in my voice. Bella stopped.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked. She must be in shock.

"I'm sorry Bella. I am a danger to you" Everything was spiraling out of my control, I thought I was in control of the monster. I thought I could make it work.

"Now I'm confused! One minute you were declaring your love for me and the next, you're pushing me away!" Bella was raising her voice.

"Oh Bella, you are everything to me. I could not imagine existing without you but knowing that I can kill you if I lost control again, it kills me, and it kills me even more seeing you walk away from me but if it means that you would be safer then I would endure it."

She slowly walked back towards me and I held my breath. There was that reassuring smile on her face again. "Edward, I only stepped back to give you room, so you can gain control of yourself. I wasn't going to walk away." Wait, she wasn't? I don't understand

"You're not?" I had to be sure.

"No. You could have killed me, but you didn't" I flinched at the word, trying to erase the memory of my slip earlier.

"I trust you. I told you before when we first met and I'm telling you again now, it doesn't matter to me what you are. You need to understand...dangerous or not, I will be here."

It was my turn to be in awe. Here I was, so afraid of my own monstrosity yet Bella was still trusting me with her life.

"Are you certain?" I tentatively asked. She slowly lifted her hands towards my face and gently rested her palm on my cheek.

"There are a lot of things I'm not certain about right now, who I am, where I come from, why I'm here but if there's one thing that I'm certain about, it's you. My world will not be complete without you"

There was an uneasiness that was nagging me when she said those words, but it was drowned out by the realization that right now, I was hers and she was mine.


	11. Together

I couldn't believe that I'm saying this but...I've never been this happy in my life. I was happy with my family but there was always something missing for me. Now that Bella was here, I felt... complete.

Bella became part of the family. It didn't matter if she wasn't like us because they saw the effect she had on me and the happiness she brought me. The family was generally supportive, Esme and Carlisle especially. They've always been sad that I've considered myself the odd man out and after being alone for a long time, they could not contain the happiness they felt for me.

Alice was ecstatic knowing that her vision finally came true about us. They were already best buddies except when Alice would start playing dress up and Bella would be throw a fit. Jasper was tolerant and as long as she sees Alice happy, Jasper accepted Bella without question and I didn't have to worry about Jasper's control. Knowing that Alice would be very upset if he hurts Bella, he was more cautious this time.

Emmett was glad to have another person to make fun of. Rosalie on the other hand, was a different story. Carlisle initially turned her in the hopes that we would regard each other the way he regards Esme, but I had never thought of her more than a sister and it angered her that I did not want her, never mind that she didn't want me in a romantic way. She was used to people worshiping her and was furious to know that I finally found someone that I was drawn to. She didn't admit it to anyone, but I could hear it clearly in her thoughts. After confronting her about her hostile reaction to Bella, she toned it down and became civil. That was the least she could do.

Bella became curious about how we came to be what we are now, and we told her about our stories and about the vampire world. Even Rosalie eventually shared how she was made into this life. She knew about the rulers of our kind and the law that was strictly being followed and the consequences of breaking them. Bella made sure that our secret will be safe with her. It wasn't just the vampire world that she was curious about, she was also curious about the places around her.

"So, let me make sure I got this one... We're at the Olympic Peninsula because there's more rain here and dark, cloudy skies where you can freely roam around in daytime compared to... let's say.... Oh Arizona... or California... or Nevada?"

"Yep, why, Bella, you know places!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Why shouldn't I? I just lost memories about myself not the world" Bella was raising her eyebrow and Emmett just shrugged and went back to watching television but not after mentally conjuring an image of letters being spelled as "Alien" and making a mental "x" on his mind to cross it out.

She doesn't seem to mind now when talking about her memories, but I couldn't shake that feeling that there was something more to her that we haven't figured out yet. Carlisle has been regularly monitoring Bella's brain to make sure there was no major damage after the accident and to see if there's something else we can find out about her. There was still that mystery about how she survived that fall but we were caught in a dead end. We didn't even have time to go back to the scene where we found her.

Every time I think about her memories, there was that uneasy feeling that I couldn't seem to grasp. Was it because I was afraid that if she gets her memory back, she might change her views about us or she might want to leave... to go back to where ever she came from? I didn't know... Part of me wants her memory back but a selfish part of me wishes that her memories won't return so she can just stay here... with me.

Bella hasn't been able to visit the town even once and wanted me to accompany her to do some groceries.

"I'll pay you back when I can. I didn't want to bother Esme with the groceries and I wanted to see if there's some other food that I'd like to try out" She said when we were driving towards the grocery.

"You don't have to pay us back. I'm surprised you didn't ask Alice to go with you"

"And end up shopping for clothes instead? No thanks. My closet is already full as it is, and I've just been here for weeks" She said annoyingly. I've never seen a girl hate shopping before.

"Do you know how to cook?" I asked innocently when I was maneuvering the car in the grocery's parking lot. Bella faced me with her eyebrow raised then shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out."

"Anyways, since you placed a stove in the kitchen, might as well make use of it" She got out of the car and I followed dutifully.

_Oh my... Edward Cullen doing groceries is hot..._

The loud thoughts of Jessica Stanley interrupted my own thinking. We had the same classes in Forks High and I've always tuned her out every time she's near because of her wild imaginations of us together. I followed Bella to the meat section pushing the cart with me as we went along, and I could see Stanley's mental eyes following my every move and listen to her suddenly alarming thoughts when she saw Bella place her choices in the cart I was carrying.

_No way! This can't be! Who's she?! Is that why he never even looks twice at the girls in school? No... Wait ... she could be family... yes... she looks as pale as them..._

Hmmm...This could get interesting.

"I think this should be enough" Bella finally walked towards the cashier and I could hear Stanley's thoughts trying to be brave enough to strike a conversation.

I handed Bella the credit card just as Stanley walked up behind us at the checkout line.

"Oh... umm hi Edward... Cullen... what a surprise to see you here in town... I mean in the grocery -" she was trying to calm herself and I saw Bella turn around in mild interest and caught her moving instinctively closer towards me.

"Miss Stanley" I smiled my endearing smile and saw her cheeks turn red. The site would have caused my throat to ache but after I've known Bella, it didn't affect me as much as before.

"Yes... I do live in Forks" I laughingly pointed it.

"Oh yes... right... um... We're just not used to seeing your _family_ outside of school" She laughed innocently but I could hear the emphasis on the word family and the way her eyes assessed Bella like competition.

Bella was looking at me expectantly for introduction. "Ah... Bella this, is Jessica Stanley. We go to the same school. Jessica, meet Bella... my girlfriend" There. That actually felt good to tell everyone that Bella was with me, but it felt awkward calling her girlfriend. I was thinking of something more than that.

I looked at her and saw her cheeks blush and her eyes where full of wonder.

"Oh hi... nice to meet you Bella..."

"Swan... Bella Swan. It's nice to  
meet you Jessica"

I was trying my best to act as normal as I could after hearing Bella say her last name. Was that something she just made up? No... I didn't think so. I saw the hint of surprise and alarm in her eyes when the words came out of her mouth.

"Oh, any relation with our Police Chief? Charlie Swan?"

"Probably not... I was born somewhere far away..." She shrugged, and I saw her deep in thought. Stanley didn't even notice Bella was not paying attention to her reply after that. I tried acting as normal as I could, but I could not stop myself from feeling anxious knowing that I couldn't read her mind.

We excused ourselves after all our items were checked out leaving Jessica alone.

Bella was looking out her window deep in thought while we were on the road.

"You know, times like this when I badly want to hear those thoughts of yours" I told her wistfully.

She looked at me apologetically. "I do too, maybe you can help me sort out my memories"

I smiled at her. "Unfortunately, that's not how my mind reading works"

"I know" She sighed. "It just came to me and I thought my memories would start coming back but it's all just blank again"

"So that's you're real name then?" I looked at her.

"Isabella Marie Swan. But I prefer Bella"

"It's beautiful" I told her honestly. I finally know the name of the woman I love.

"Are you sure you're not from here?"

"I may not remember for now... but I have the strongest feeling that I am not from here."


	12. Port Angeles

"Are you comfortable enough?"

I laid down her small bag in the hotel bed when we arrived.

We were in a hotel in Port Angeles and the room that we chose only had one bed. Since I didn't sleep, there wouldn't be a need for one.

"Yep, I'm good" Bella started to go over her things in the bag.

"I need a few human minutes" Bella said as she headed straight for the bathroom.

I peeked at the blinds and could see people going about their business late in the day. It was a good thing that they had an indoor parking that didn't require me to go outside and expose myself.

When she left the bathroom, Bella sat on the bed and patted the space beside her where I dutifully sat down.

She raised her arms slowly to touch my face and that was my cue to sit still as a statue. I didn't want to make the same mistake as what happened in the meadow, so I made sure I was in control of myself this time.

Her hands caressed my cheeks and she was deep thought.

"Edward, you're hurting… you need to hunt" She never fails to notice this little things about me. My eagerness to be by her side all the time had made me forget about my own needs.

"I don't want to leave you" The reason why we had to stay at Port Angeles was because Jasper's old acquaintances were visiting, and they were not like us. I didn't want to take any chances with Bella around the house or even in the cottage.

"I'll be safe here… please... for me" Knowing Bella, it would be the pain that I'm feeling that she's worried about rather than the idea of me slipping up and accidentally killing her. I sighed and gave in.

"All right. I'll try to be as quick as I can." I assured her.

"No. Take your time. I think you need to get as much game as you can. Grab some mountain lion or two for me" I had to laugh. Leave it to Bella to comment on my diet like I was just trying to grab some hamburger and fries.

"If it eases your mind, I'll sleep here the whole day, so you won't have to worry" 

"It will. I'll be back before you know it." I took one last excruciating breath and leaned closer. Bella was the one who was still this time, waiting for me to make my move.

I cupped her cheeks with my palm and planted a chaste kiss on her sweet lips but it didn't seem to be enough for Bella as she started to move closer towards me and before the monster can dangerously surface, I broke away panting.

Bella's heart was beating like a drum and I knew that if mine was beating, it would have the same rhythm. I couldn't help a chuckle.

"You are the death of me Bella" I sighed.

"Come back to me"

"Always"

Before I could change my mind and not leave Bella on her own, I left in a blink of an eye.

It was only after I've had my fill that I realized how thirsty I was. I hurriedly drove back to the hotel knowing that Bella was waiting for me and it was then that I've noticed darkness starting to creep in the sky. I never realized I was away that long. I should remember avoiding being too hungry if I wanted to be with Bella all the time.

I arrived at an empty room with a note from my beloved.

_Gone for a walk. Will be back before sundown._

_-Bella_

Panic started to build inside me. It was already sundown and she haven't returned.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down the anxiety that was building up. I looked around the empty room, trying to make sense of why she left then the thought that she needed to get herself some food came to mind. I chastised myself for not making sure that, that was taken cared of before he left.

I was pacing in the room. Thirty minutes had past, and she still wasn't back.

That's it. I couldn't stand to wait any second longer. I grabbed my car keys and went to get my car as frustratingly fast as the human eyes can see.

I set out of the hotel and started driving around anxiously around Port Angeles. It was still a few minutes before the sun was finally gone but before then, I was trapped in my car.

I caught her scent just outside the restaurant that we used to have dinner with and followed it until I reached a bookstore. I was about to go out of the car when I noticed her scent was stronger outside and realized she never went in. I drove around some more scanning the thoughts of everyone within my abilities.

_Uuggh! What I would give to hear her mind right now!_

And suddenly there she was. I let out a growl as I realized who's mind I was reading. I've tasted his kind, the kind who was human outside but a monster inside, who preys on the innocent.

"No!" I was seeing red as I hit the gas pedal and drove towards where he was. It was like watching a horror movie. I was looking into the eyes of this predator as he approached Bella. My Bella. He was with two other men who were clearly enjoying their dominance against a helpless woman.

They were surrounding her, my Bella who was just standing there without any signs of distress or fear.

_What are you doing?! Get out of there! Scream for help!_

If only my words could reach her now. Almost there…

The thoughts of the predator suddenly filled me with utmost horror and rage as I saw in his mind the many ways that he wanted to get her.

Just as I turned into the lone alley that they were in, it was like watching two movies. One was from inside the predator's mind and the other one was the scene unfolding just in front of me.

He was annoyed that Bella was not cowling in fear. He wanted her to beg

He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and lunged at Bella but the only thing that the knife sliced was air. She disappeared in front of their eyes.

Only I was able to see, with my vampire keen eyes, how when the man made a lunge with his knife, did Bella side step and gracefully turned towards his blind spot and jumped back into the shadows.

The look on the men's faces mirrored mine. Confusion. They were frantically looking around.

They couldn't see her but I can. I saw her waiting patiently, with eyes focused on the men that wanted to assault her, before making her next move.

"What the h—" He was cut off when he was grabbed by the collar and thrown at the side of the alley rendering him unconscious.

The other man whirled towards the noise and when he saw his comrade down, he tried to run towards him but suddenly fell on the ground. Before he knew what was happening, Bella was on top of him and with one swift motion, brought her fist down to his face, knocking him unconscious with that one punch.

The last man standing with the knife was furious. He was out for blood after seeing the others unconscious. He threw the knife and I saw in his mind that he was about to pull out a gun.

I was finally able to move past the shock of what just happened and made my move. I've had enough of his mind that was out to kill the love of my life. If this didn't end now, I might be the one to kill the man myself.

I revved the engine to get his attention and drove straight towards them stopping right between him and Bella.

"Get in!" I said with clenched teeth. I caught her stunned look and when she recognized me, Bella didn't think twice and got into the car. I immediately slammed the gas pedal and sped off.

"What just happened?" Bella was looking at me with confusion in her eyes.


	13. Gathering

"What just happened?! You were almost killed! Uhh if you only knew what they were thinking… I want to rip them limb from limb just by the hearing what they wanted to do to you!" I was seething with rage. My body was shaking uncontrollably that it was a miracle that the steering wheel was still intact.

I was so caught up in my own anger that I was surprised when I felt a warm hand in my arm and I turned my head to see Bella's eyes bore into mine. All my anger left when I saw the look on her face. I could see panic, fear, confusion all at once. It brought me back to my senses. Bella needed me now.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you Love. Please know that it's not you I'm angry at"

"I shouldn't have left the hotel" She sighed, and I welcomed the burn in my throat because it meant that she was here, alive, with me.

We rode silently for a few minutes and I used the time to clear my head and as Alice put it, desensitize from Bella's appealing scent.

"Are you hurt?" The worry was clear in my voice.

"No" she was trying to reassure me which calmed me a bit but suddenly remembering the last thing that happened before I came.

"Are you okay?"

"No…" I couldn't help but look at her, but she was lost in her own thoughts while staring out the window.

My recollection of what happened to the alley was very clear and there was no other explanation that I could find. Bella was a fighter who took down three men. She was strong and fast. Not like a vampire but enough to be considered 'not normal' by human standards.

"Did you know you can do that?" I had to ask. I bet no one ever expected Bella to do all those things and not to mention throwing someone that far was not something a normal human could do.

She was looking at her hands "I don't know. I just… I just acted on instinct. I wasn't even afraid. I knew deep inside that they were no match." She was silent for a while before she continued.

"I was thinking of running away from them but the thought of them finding another women to terrorize and knowing that whoever they were going to assault next was going to be helpless... I wanted to do something..." 

"What's happening to me Edward?" She added.

"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this" I tried to reassure her but even I couldn't see the truth in my own words.

It was only until we got back to the hotel that I saw several missed calls on my phone from Alice. She must have gotten a vision about Bella and after giving her the full details about what really happened, she asked us to come home right away.

"Well, one thing we know for sure is that she's very much human all right" Jasper wrinkled his nose, trying to forget the smell of Bella's blood when Carlisle did a blood test the moment we got back from Port Angeles. We had to leave Bella alone with Carlisle during the extraction and I didn't trust myself enough yet to control the monster when it comes to her fresh blood spilling, but the smell still lingered in the house when we returned.

"Maybe you were just exaggerating things Edward" Rosalie started, and I had to glare at her.

"I know what I saw, and Alice did too" Alice nodded in agreement.

"Well, there are humans who have enhanced abilities through years of training" Jasper offered.

"Oh! Oh! Ninjas!" Emmett pointed much to Rosalie's annoyance.

"Really Emmett?"

"What?! You said she was fast? Humans couldn't see her moves and she's strong!"

I had to roll my eyes.

"Fine, why don't we test it then?" Emmett's smile was devilish.

"NO!" That came out as a growl, but I didn't care.

"No one's testing anyone" Esme reassured and then turned to Bella.

"Bella, do you still not remember anything?" I was afraid of that question. I have been trying to avoid asking Bella that question afraid of what the answer might be.

I looked at her and saw her concentrate. After a few seconds, her face distorted into a wince which would have looked cute if the situation weren't this serious.

"Nothing" I didn't realize I was actually holding my breath. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Does it still hurt trying to remember?" I inquired. She turned to look at me and gave a reassuring smile.

"It doesn't hurt anymore but it still frustrates me that I can't remember anything else. If only there was something that could help me jog my memory…" She trailed of.

"Oh hey! Maybe this would help" Emmett suddenly said when he remembered a watch that Bella was wearing when we found her. Bella looked at him and there was a hint of surprise on her face when he got back a second later.

Emmett gave Bella a black digital watch that looked broken and she looked up to him questioningly.

"You were wearing that when we found you. Rose and I tried fixing it, but we couldn't get it to open." Bella was turning it over and over in her hands until she stopped.

"Sorry I got nothing" she sighed then to Emmett.

"Ahmm, could you do that again?"

"Do what again?" It was our turn to look surprised.

"Run around the house in vampire speed. I just realized something earlier, but I wanted to be sure"

_ Bro, your girlfriend is starting to get weird. _

"Just do it Emmett" I was curious as well. Just like that, Emmett was running around the living room in vampire speed, making sure not to break any furniture along the way.

"Bella…"

"Wait" she raised her finger signaling me to be quiet while she concentrated.

Huh. I forgot how frustrating it was not being able to read what's going on in that mind of hers.

I didn't have to look at Emmett to know where he was because I can easily pinpoint him with his mind.

I was looking at Bella instead and saw her eyes moving from left to right trying hard to find Emmett and after a few seconds, it hit me.

"You can see him!"


	14. Fears

Emmett stopped dead on his tracks. All our eyes were now on Bella.

"Well… only if I concentrate. If not, you're just a blur running around the house"

"That's interesting. A regular human shouldn't even see any 'blur'" Jasper said curiously.

"Looks like Edward not being able to read your mind is not the only thing that's unique about you" Alice said.

"Son, I think it's time" Carlisle suddenly said. _We need to show her where we found her. It might help her remember and it may answer all our questions._

"How do you know it's going to work?" I asked. I wasn't trying to be skeptical but Bella has already gone through enough for today.

"What would work? What's Carlisle talking about Edward?" Bella insisted.

"It's nothing. He wanted us to show you where we found you hoping it might jog your memory. I don't think it would help though" I sounded unconvinced.

"There's something that we needed to tell you dear." Esme started.

"Tell me what?" Bella was confused and Carlisle sighed.

"We believe it's time for you to know how you arrived into our lives. We know we told you that we found you after an accident but the details were never really shared with you, and you never brought it up." Carlisle started.

"I... never really thought there was more to it." She told us truthfully.

"There is and it would be better for us to show you instead."

"It's worth a try. I've got nothing to lose" Bella shrugged.

 _But I do._ I stopped myself. Where did that thought come from?

"Alright" Carlisle interrupted my thoughts "Edward, why don't you let Bella got some rest? We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning" I nodded halfheartedly and led Bella outside the house and to the cottage.

We arrived at the cottage and after eating her dinner, I excused myself, so I could hunt and promised to be with her when she sleeps. She didn't protest even if she knew that I just hunted. I wanted to lose myself in my true nature, to do something within my primal instinct and hunting seems to be the only way for me to be able to channel that, or else, I would find myself hunting a different kind of prey in the dark corners of the city.

I stopped by the house but when I arrived, I could hear the rest of the family discussing.

"I don't understand why we all have to go. Why can't Edward just take her there and be done with it?" Rosalie was arguing.

"Bella is a part of our family now and she needs our support. Now more than ever." Esme reasoned out.

 _Like I don't have anything else better to do._ I heard the sarcastic tone on her thought.

"C'mon Babe. We can always leave them there and go someplace to hunt" Emmett suggested. Rosalie looked at him then rolled her eyes. "Fine"

"Carlisle, isn't it too soon for her to remember? What if… she can't handle the truth? What if it doesn't work? We'll just be giving her false hope" I tried to explain.

"Bella deserves to know the truth and she said it herself. She already lost her memory, what has she got to lose?" Jasper was the one to answer.

"Edward… Why do I get the feeling that you don't want Bella to remember?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?" 

I keep telling myself that now might not be a good time for her to start remembering with everything that's going on. I didn't want her to be overwhelmed with so much information.

"Duh. Isn't it obvious" Rosalie chimed in. "He's afraid that if Bella remembers, she might leave him. You know, go back to where she came from and all, and leave him forever"

"Rosalie!" Esme reprimanded. 

"What?! Look at him. Just the thought of Bella leaving is already giving him that miserable look on his face" Rosalie was gesturing her arms at me. 

_Was I miserable? I don't understand._

"Rosalie has a point. What if Bella remembers that she has a family she needs to return to or a husband…" Emmett said, and it was like a knife was suddenly pierced to my already dead heart.

"Emmett… not helping" Carlisle said but that image was already instilled in my mind. Was I really afraid that Bella would leave me if she remembers? Was that the nagging feeling that was bothering me all the time. I was in the spotlight and they were all looking at me like I was about to break at any moment.

I needed to be alone to think. "I'm going hunting" I told them of my plan. Before I could dismiss myself, Esme's hand was on my shoulder and she looked at me with sympathy. "Edward… You know Bella loves you. Nothing would change that".

I looked at my mother and all I could do was nod before I left them to be by myself. I knew Bella loves me. But I didn't know if that would change. Deep inside, I was afraid of the truth.

I let my vampire instincts rule me, so I could forget the inevitable. Hunt. Feed. Hunt. Feed. I continued throughout the night until I felt too full to have any more.

It was already daytime when I got back to the cottage. I went in thru the back and I panicked when I saw the bed empty as if no one ever slept there.

"In here" Bella's voice was somewhere in the kitchen and relief flooded through me. I rushed towards the kitchen and there she was sitting alone. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I got up early, so I made myself breakfast" She pointed to her plate which was already empty.

"Good Morning" I tried to hide the uneasiness from my voice and she didn't seem to notice.

"You weren't here the whole night." She accused, and I grabbed a chair and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry love. I guess I lost tracked of time." I reasoned. She didn't think twice of accepting my answer and leaned her head on my shoulder. I inhaled her scent and felt the burn in my throat giving me a constant reminder how appealing she was no matter how I quench my thirst with animal's blood but this time, I was in control.

"Are you nervous?" I asked casually.

"I don't know… maybe…" She started to say.

"I mean, I really don't know what to expect. All I know is I need do find out the truth about myself." She sighed, and she held my stone hands firmly. "You'll be with me, right?" She looked up and there was something in her eyes that made me feel guilty about my selfishness of not wanting her to remember. She was hurting. She deserved to know the truth and I needed to be there for her.

"I'll be here for you Bella… always." I stood up and reached out my hand.

"Shall we go?"


	15. Chapter 15

The crater was just like the way we left it, empty. There was a fading human scent in the area indicating that humans were already here, but no one seemed to be bothering it now.

We were all standing at the edge of the crater with Bella who was holding my hand firmly.

"Wow… this is one huge crater." Bella was finally able to say. "I wonder what could have caused this huge hole in the ground" She asked to no one in particular and the rest of us looked at each other.

"You did Bella" Alice directly said, and Bella looked at her in confusion.

"What? What do you mean?" She was looking at all of us for an answer. We were all trying to decide how we were going to tell her when Emmett spoke up.

"Enough with the suspense. Lighten up you guys. You're all too tense"

"So, you see Bella, we were playing baseball one day when we heard an explosion in the sky and then we saw something falling like…" Emmett made a whooshing sound as he raised his right hand and slowly moved it downwards with one finger pointing to the ground in an attempt visualize what happened.

"and then… BAM!" He opened his palms to show something like an explosion.

"Ahemm… thank you for that visual Emmett." Carlisle interrupted. "As Emmett was trying to say, after the explosion, we rushed to investigate and when we arrived, we found you in the middle of the crater, unconscious and unscathed" he finished.

We were all waiting for her reaction, but Bella remained silent. She turned back towards the crater then stared up at the sky with a faraway look. I was suddenly worried that this was a wrong idea to begin with.

"Bella?" She didn't seem to hear me. "Bella?" I tried again.

 _Son give her time to process this._ I heard Esme's thought.

We didn't mind the silence that followed but seeing Bella still as a statue was not something I was used to.

The minutes that passed by seemed like an eternity and I was studying her features to see if there were any changes and it was exactly after three minutes that she suddenly blinked several times as if waking up from a trance and looked around us in confusion.

"What is it Bella?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure. One minute I was just staring at the sky trying to absorb what you guys were telling me and the next, I was in some kind of dream. Well, I'm not sure if that was a dream or more like memories…" She trailed of.

"Would you be able to describe what was in this dream?" My father slowly inquired. Everyone was suddenly curious especially me.

"What I saw… It's too unbelievable and it sounds crazy" She sighed.

"You're talking to a family of vampires. What could be crazier than that?" Rosalie pointed out.

"Bella, I'm here for you" I told her sincerely and that seemed to help her decide to start sharing.

"The images were a bit foggy but all I know was that there was chaos everywhere, explosions, people needing help. It was like the world was ending." She shivered then she wrinkled her face, trying to remember more.

"The terrain was unfamiliar. There were no buildings or anything that can help me recognize the place. There were only islands and mountains and the vast ocean that had a certain green hue not like the normal blue of our ocean... I'm not sure. It felt like a different world... nothing like the Earth that I know... it felt... alien" She spoke the last word uneasily.

The family was looking at each other.

"Well, that does sound crazy." Rosalie had to agree.

 _Could she just be daydreaming about events in the worlds history?_ That was Jasper. Alice didn't bother commenting in her thought because she was too busy scanning the future to see anything unusual but there was nothing new about her vision.

"Why do you think they were memories?" Carlisle continued.

Bella shrugged "Because I was there? I don't know."

"Maybe you were watching too many sci-fi movies" Emmett offered, and Bella had to smile.

"I wish I did but it felt too real. I have a sense that we were there on a mission because there were others as well and we were wearing some kind of uniform, white and blue fitted jacket and pants. Some of them were carrying guns but we were all wearing the same watch that Emmett showed me yesterday"

I suddenly remembered the clothes that we found her in. She was wearing a black bodysuit at that time, but it looked like she was wearing outer clothes that was charred due to the explosion but the pieces of the clothing that was left seemed to fit her description.

"You were wearing one, but it was all destroyed from the explosion" I told her. What she's telling us was becoming a dream less and less.

"What else could you remember dear?" Esme urged. Bella thought hard.

"Well… It looked like we were trying to stop the chaos all around us and then…someone was… trying to get away from us… he was holding a cylinder and somehow I knew it was dangerous, so I took off after him and when I caught up, he activated it and I panicked. I pressed something on my watch and we were sucked into a vortex. I tried to get hold of the object, but that person fought back, and we had a fight… I was able to subdue him but the timer ran out, and I think I did something to the watch before the object exploded point blank and I remember falling and then nothing…." Bella closed her eyes trying to forget what she saw.

I admit, hearing what she said seemed like it came out straight from any sci-fi movie. But the way her body tensed just by recalling those memories, I knew she experienced all of that and it was hurting her more than she let on.

"It still doesn't answer the question about where you come from." Jasper said.

"True. Now, I have more questions rather than answers. What I saw was probably the reason why I got here but I still don't remember anything before that or more about me for that matter" Bella sighed.

"I need to know how It happened…" Bella trailed off while looking intently at the crater in front of us. This was something I had no control off. I didn't know how to comfort her. I didn't know what I can do for her because I, myself can't believe what she's saying could be true.

"Bella…" Alice suddenly said with a hint of alarm in her voice. She had been silent all the while Bella was sharing her memories.

"Yes?" Bella asked, confused.

"What were you deciding just now?" I did not understand where the question was coming from and I saw that she was still scanning the future, but something was off.

"I was deciding… that I needed to find a way back to where I came from, so I could get answers. Why?"

I knew the answer before Alice could say it. It was there in her visions. On the many scenes from the future that she saw, Bella was not in any of it.

If Bella goes back, she won't be part of our lives, of my life.


	16. Decision

"Bella, if you go home, you won't be able to come back" Alice told her.

"That can't be. I have every intention of coming back here" Bella was arguing, not understanding why that was supposed to happen.

"What if you can't find a way back? That would explain why if you leave, you'll no longer be part of our future." Alice explained.

"If I was able to get here, I'm sure I can find a way to come back! I have to." Bella was adamant.

"Does anyone even wonder why Bella disappears from our future if she finds her way home? And where is home anyway?" Emmett was curious.

"Interesting. The only thing I could think of is that Bella is not from this world that's why Alice can't see her." Jasper was saying.

"From another world? That's crazy!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"That's the only thing that makes sense even if it doesn't" Jasper rubbed his temples.

"Doesn't that bother you at all? I'm bothered by it and that's coming from a vampire" Emmett exclaimed.

"It still doesn't explain why you have abilities beyond a normal human being" Alice added.

"Oh Bella, this must be so much to take in. If there was only something we could do to help" Esme came to Bella's side and was now comforting her. "Carlisle?"

"It's really hard to wrap our mind from all this information we're getting but we're still back to where we started. Bella only remembers what happened but not who she is and that's what we need to work on. What do you think Edward?" Carlisle asked.

I couldn't seem to grasp Carlisle's question. I was hearing their conversation, but I wasn't really paying attention.

The moment I saw Alice's vision that Bella was gone in our lives, my world fell into pieces. Now that I found Bella, I could not imagine a world without her in it. I would be glad to suffer from the burn on my throat knowing that Bella was here beside me. Everything doesn't seem to make sense. If she decides to leave, would I have a choice?

The noise from my surrounding suddenly stopped and everything seemed quieter. I listened carefully and all I could hear was the sound of nature all around us and one steady heartbeat beside me.

"Edward?" It was her voice calling me, trying to get my attention. I realized that it was just the two of us now. It seems my family was nowhere to be found.

"Are you okay?" She said softly. Warm hands were trying to hold my still cold hands.

I looked at her and there was worry in her eyes. "Please tell me what's wrong?" She lifted her palms to my cheek.

"Bella… Do you want to go back?" It was hard for me to say those words, but she saw… she saw the pain that it was causing me, and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I have to… I need this Edward. I need to know"

The truth is… I understood her, and I wanted to help her but knowing that she would have to leave to do that, it was too much for me. The idea was ripping me apart and I couldn't bear the thought of Bella not being here by my side, to not exist in my future. I would do anything... I would follow her to every corner of the world, just so that I can be with her forever.

Then it hit me.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" She asked tentatively

"Would it be too much to ask if I go with you?" She looked up at me and I could see that she wasn't expecting that question. I wasn't expecting it either but if Bella finds her way back to her world, if she really is from another world, then I would follow her.

It took forever for her to answer and the frustration that I was not be able to hear her thoughts about the matter was consuming me.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

I had to wait patiently wait for her response.

"I would want that… very much." She finally spoke but then added "But I can't let you leave your family. That's unfair for you, for them."

"They'll understand" I reassured her, but she doesn't seem convinced. They would because that was how they were. I'm sure Alice would probably see my future disappear together with Bella now that I made the decision but they would understand. I've lived all my life alone and with a chance to be with Bella, knowing that I can be with her, I was going to make sure that I would be living the rest of my existence beside her, no matter which world we were in and I know that my family would be there to support me with my decision.

"Besides, it won't be much of an existence if you won't be in my life now. I might as well be dead" I added on a serious note and she gasped, the pain in her face clear.

"Don't you dare say that!"

"Bella… there is no life for me without you"

"Then… find a way… find a reason to live" That was... impossible and I know that she knew that.

"It's different for us vampires. When the one we love is taken a way for us, it's like dying a thousand deaths. Imagine spending the rest of eternity feeling that emptiness inside you, burning you, eating you up." She was silent before she could response.

"I can't… I don't want to…" She gasped as her hand clutched her chest with the imaginary pain.

I carefully grabbed her closer and held the hand on her chest, assuring her that she won't ever feel that pain.

"So, you understand why I would rather go with you than be alone here?"

I could sense her thinking hard, but of what, I would never know unless she tells me.

"We're going to get you home Bella" I added although I wasn't not really sure how we would be able to do that.

She sighed and she let her body relax.

"Home… I still have to know where home is" She stepped away from me while still holding my hand and faced the crater in front of us.

She was lost in her thoughts again.

"At least there's already progress. You know how you got here. Maybe the memories will start coming back because of that" It was a few more minutes before she spoke.

"I'm going to have to rethink my decisions of going back" My brows furrowed. Was it just earlier that she was already resolved in finding her way back home?

"What do you mean?"

"You heard what Alice said. If I ever go back, I won't be able to come back here and if you're coming with me, you won't be able to come back here as well. I can't just let that happen"

"Wait, we're still coming back here?" I was confused by her explanation.

"Why not? Your family is here. I need to find a way to return here before I decide on going home." I was looking at her, clearly dumbfounded and she rolled her eyes at me in exasperation as if I should have already guessed it by now.

"Edward, aside from getting my memories back, the reason I have to go back is to make sure I don't have any 'unfinished business' wherever I came from. Once I do that, I would finally be able to move forward here… with you… and your family"

"I don't understand"

"Edward… don't you still get it? I'm spending the rest of my life here… with you"

There was a sense of euphoria that washed over me when she said those words. It was a sacrifice that I did not expect she was willing to make, to be with me, to be with my family.

I could not contain the happiness inside me as I cradled her face in my palm and she looked at me with the same feeling of happiness showing in her eyes. No matter what happened, we would find a way to be together.

_This is getting boring. A girl needs to have some fun and some blood._

_Ahh, it's always good to smell the fresh air. Wait, what's this? Another one of us in the vicinity?_

_Hmmm… I wonder where I could get a snack in this side of town._

I froze as three different thoughts entered in my head.

My body tensed and Bella was suddenly alert at my sudden change. Somehow, she sensed it too. I hovered over her protectively while looking at the edge of the forest where I knew they would be coming out of.

Something was coming and they were thirsty… for blood.


	17. Company

"What is it?" Bella asked when she saw my defensive position.

"We've got company" I bit back a growl. Bella noticed and glanced to where I was looking, the forest just across the crater. She must have understood what I was referring to.

"Let me guess, they're not vegetarians"

"I'm afraid they're not." I groaned. I just placed Bella in a very dangerous situation and all because she was with me. I need to find a way to get out of here.

"Can we make it out of here?" She urgently asked.

"Too late. They already caught my scent" I gritted my teeth. _Dammit! Why is this happening now?_

I wheeled my body to face Bella. She was waiting for me to make a decision. I sniffed the air. It smelled excruciatingly delicious. I didn't think I could do anything to mask the scent but maybe...

"Bella, I'm going to try and talk my way through this before they can even get close enough." I told her in a rushed tone. "I'll introduce you as my mate. They'll assume you're a vampire immediately" She's pale enough to pass for one and as long as they're not too close to catch her scent. If they're expecting vampires, they won't try to pay attention to her heartbeat and then we can just excuse ourselves and get out of this place. 

She nodded in understanding and just like that, the aura around Bella changed drastically. From her reserved posture, she was suddenly standing up straight in an erect bearing with her hands to her side. Her eyes that were usually full of emotions were now fixed in front of her, pierced, alert and unafraid. I suddenly remembered the incident at Port Angeles. She was ready for anything, she was ready to fight. I stood dumbfounded. If not for her beating heart, she could pass of as a... vampire.

We definitely need to know who she really was and what she does.

I was distracted by the changes in Bella that I almost missed the moment when they got out of the woods.

Three figures stopped just at the opposite side of the crater. They were wearing normal backpacker attires and the way they move showed they were nomads, vampires who preferred to move from one place to another. The tall and dark-haired man in the center stepped forward and his thoughts we're more on curiosity of meeting another of their kind in the area.

"We were just passing by. I am Laurent and these are James and Victoria" He spoke in a French accent while introducing the others. James wore a calculating look and his thoughts were trying to assess us. The woman, Victoria who had long wild red hair had a feline look and was darting her eyes towards our surroundings to see if there were any threat nearby.

"I'm Edward Cullen and this is my mate, Bella" I introduced, trying to sound casual. They didn't seem to see anything unusual with us being there.

"This is quite an interesting part of the forest." Laurent was referring to the crater in front of us. "Yes, this is a crash site. The humans had already disposed of what's left of the wreckage here"

"Aahhh, that explains the lingering scent" Laurent inhaled, and I stiffened. We had to get out of here before they caught Bell's scent. She was just silent beside me, observing and trying not to get any attention to herself.

"You frequent here?" The other two didn't seem to be into conversations because they let Laurent do all the talking.

"Our _family_ maintains a permanent residence nearby" That got the attention of all three of them. I had to emphasize that it wasn't just me and Bella and that there were more of us.

 _What do you know? The territory is taken. Too bad._ James was thinking.

 _There are others?! How many are they?_ Victoria's thoughts were suspicious.

Laurent's thoughts were in synced with what he spoke. "Family" he tested the word in his mouth. "What an odd thing to say."

"We should probably get going. We have to meet the others back home." I announced.

"Please, we don't want to keep you. We will be on our way as well" Laurent bowed his head slightly to bid us goodbye.

I placed my hand at Bella's back to lead her away and she looked at me cautiously. This was going to be tricky. We had to make sure they don't question why we had to walk away instead of just running. As much as I knew that Bella was fast, I knew that it was still not fast enough to be considered vampire speed.

We slowly turned around to leave when the wind caught Bella's hair and her scent blew all the way towards the three vampires. Three growls broke the air and in an instant, they had jumped the length of the crater and landed in front of us.

All three were crouched and were several meters apart surrounding us. There crimson eyes were darting from Bella to me as I positioned her behind me and I let out a growl of my own.

"Why… you brought a snack" James finally spoke. The monster in me surfaced and I snarled at him. I was not going to let anybody hurt her.

"We could always share" Victoria grinned wildly. That was just sick.

"I said, she's my mate" I reminded them and there was a sinister edge on my tone.

 _Is he serious? How could he stand that close to her? And those eyes! Why are they different?!_ Laurent's mind was full of questions.

 _Now this is getting interesting._ It was James and suddenly, I was afraid for Bella. I scanned through his mind and realized that this was a mind of a skilled Tracker. Hunting was his passion and he was seeing a challenge in front of him.

 _Awww, I feel sorry for this one, he won't stand a chance._ Victoria was already moving slowly towards us and I moved instinctively to her direction blocking Bella from her sight. She stopped.

We were at a disadvantage. I won't be able to fight them all without risking Bella's life. If only I could just stall some more. I'm sure Alice already saw this, and the family would be on their way to provide back up.

"Come now, there is no need for us to fight" Laurent's voice was soothing but the threat behind those words were clear.

"Yes, there is no need indeed" A strong and familiar voice from our right spoke and I sighed in relief. They're here. _Thank you, Alice!_


	18. Escapes and Plans

Carlisle was walking slowly towards us, flanked by Emmett and Jasper with Alice, Rosalie and Esme at the rear. They stopped just in front of the nomads. The tables have been turned and they were the ones that were now surrounded.

 _Are you alright son? We came as soon as Alice saw._ I gave him a slight nod and Carlisle kept his eyes trained at the nomads.

The three were surprised to see this many vampires in a group. With the exception of the Volturi, vampires usually go in twos or threes but these were seven vampires all in all, in one area.

Crimson eyes against golden, Laurent was still trying to understand why that was but nevertheless, he realized that the odds where now against them.

"I don't understand" Was the only thing that Laurent was able to say.

"You don't have to. The girl is with us." Emmett said in his strong voice. His tone implicated that Bella was with us, not as food. He cracked his fist together, showing that he was eager for a fight.

"I believe it would be best if you leave" Carlisle suggested.

"Yes, I believe so" Laurent said in defeat and gestured to his companions to follow him. I can feel Bella's stance relax behind me.

 _I guess I'll just have to find my food someplace else and soon._ Victoria thought but she kept her thoughts alert.

"Goodbye" _For now._ James thoughts suddenly put me on edge. He was not letting this go.

When the three finally left the area and their thoughts finally away from me, all the rest started to relax their position.

"Wow that was exciting!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Emmett!" Esme chastised.

"If they started a fight, I would have enjoyed ripping them apart" He smiled his monster smile.

"They won't stand a chance" Jasper agreed.

"We have to leave, now!" I was finally able to say.

Bella was confused when I was starting to lead her away from the place. Without asking for her permission, I scooped her up in my arms and started running towards our vehicle with the others following behind.

"Hey! What are you doing?! I thought it was all over?" Bella was complaining.

"No it's not"

"What do you mean son?" Carlisle asked when we finally reached Emmett's truck. We all got in with Emmett at the wheel, with me and Bella in front and the rest of the family getting in the back.

"They won't be coming back, are they?" Esme asked worriedly.

"No, only the one named James. He was the one who said goodbye" Alice mirrored my concern. It looked like she already saw what was coming.

"Why?" Bella was the one who asked.

I struggled to mask the rage in my voice. This shouldn't be happening. Now, Bella's life was endangered because of someone like us.

"I saw what he was. He was a tracker, a very skilled one. He loves the challenge and we just provided him the best challenge, seven vampires protecting one human. He begins his hunt tonight."

The thoughts of my family were mixed.

_All right! Bring it on!_

_We have to protect Bella._

_I was hoping it won't lead to destroying one of our kind but if we have to…_

_This would be tricky._

_Look what you've done. You've brought this on our family._

I ignored that last thought from Rosalie.

"What do we do now?" Bella suddenly said.

" _You_ are not doing anything. _We_ are going to get you someplace safe while we take care of the situation" Alice was the one who answered.

"What? No! I can't let you all risk your lives for me!" Bella exclaimed.

"Bella, we appreciate you worried for our safety but you shouldn't be. We can take care of ourselves." Esme tried to assure her.

"But this is too dangerous!" Bella reasoned.

"It is dangerous... for him!" Emmett smiled.

"You don't get it. He's not going to stop until he gets what he wants" I explained to her.

"We'll have to destroy him, tear him apart and burn him" Jasper added. Carlisle cringed at the idea.

"This is just wrong...I don't want you all to get hurt." She said worriedly.

"It's not us that you should worry about" Jasper quipped.

"Then let me come with you and help!" She demanded and my family looked at her like she was crazy.

"No! That's out of the question!" I told her. Did she really think that I would put her in danger like that?!

"I want to help! You've seen what I can do and from what I've learned earlier, I can fight" She argued. I couldn't believe she was even considering this. Just the thought of Bella fighting a vampire... No, I didn't want to think about it.

"This is different Bella. This is not the same as in Port Angeles. We're talking about fighting a vampire here" Alice was the one who replied.

"I can take care of myself." She said stubbornly. "Besides, it's me he wants. I don't want any of you to be hurt because of me. You can use me as bait if you want" She suggested.

"No!" I half shouted.

"Bella, you're family now and we protect our family. We won't be able to protect you if you'll be in the line of fire." Carlisle explained before I can let my anger get the better of me. I wasn't angry with her for suggesting herself to be used as bait. No, I can never be angry with her. I was angry with myself. Because of what I am, Bella was now in danger.

"But -" She started to protest.

"You'll just be a liability" Rosalie cut her off.

"Rosalie" I warned.

"It's true. If she's there then Edward won't be able to focus because he'll be too busy trying to make sure she won't get hurt" That actually made Bella think. I looked deep into her eyes and saw how torn she was.

"Please Bella... I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you" I pleaded.

"All right…" She said in defeat.

We finally arrived at the house and everyone was busy preparing.

"How are going to do this?" Carlisle asked.

"We have to split up. The others will have to lead the tracker to a fake trail. That's where will meet him" Jasper spoke.

"All right, I'll drive Bella somewhere where she'll be safe" I told them.

"No, he's going to expect that she'll be with you. Jasper and I will take her" Alice explained. I saw it in her vision and true enough; James would be following my scent.

"Jasper, are you able to do this?" I asked him. I trust my brother that he won't hurt Bella but I wanted to be sure that he's up for this. He's going to be in close proximity with her for a long period.

 _Don't worry Edward, I'm in control_.

Bella stood at one corner watching us and I came over to her side.

"This will be over soon and when we're done, I'll come get you as soon as possible, I promise" I kissed her hair and inhaled her scent letting the burn in my throat fill me with the strength I needed.

She nodded before speaking.

"Edward, could you give me a few minutes? I just need to go to the bathroom"

"Of course, Let me go with you" I was about to lead her when she raised her eyebrows at me in question.

"I'll just be right outside the door."

"Really?" She asked in disbelief. "Alice, a little help here?" She looked at my sister and Alice started to focus.

"He's going to wait until we would leave before he starts the chase." Alice confirmed and Bella looked at me. "See, No one's going to hurt me in the bathroom so I can go alone"

"Actually Bella, it wouldn't hurt to be safe. Have Edward go with you." Alice added and Bella frowned. "Fine" She conceded. I nodded at Alice and gave her a silent _Thank You_ before leaving them.

_Keep an eye on her Edward._

We walked silently inside the house while the rest of the family we're getting ready to leave in the garage.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"Scared" But there was no trace of fear in her words. I can understand that the situation might be a lot for her to handle.

The more I need to make sure that she's away from any fight no matter what.

"Edward." Bella turned to me when we were at the bathroom door.

"Yes?"

"Could you do me a favor? I need to change into comfortable clothes. Maybe you could get one at the spare room while I wash up in the bathroom? I'll just be quick. Don't worry."

"All right, I'll be back" She smiled at me and I could see that there was something there in her eyes that I couldn't read.

I ran towards the spare room at the second floor. The room was already empty but Bella's scent still lingered. I opened the closet and saw some clothes that she wore. I got out a t-shirt and jeans and went back to the bathroom where I could hear the water running from inside.

"Bella, I'll leave the clothes at the door." I called out. There was no answer.

"Edward!" Alice called out from the living room. There was a hint of anger and urgency in her voice.

"I can't see her!"

Panic suddenly filled my every being. I opened the bathroom door and sure enough, it was empty.


	19. Chase

Could a vampire have a panic attack? Because I think I might be having one. How could she have ran away when I was just gone for only ten seconds?!

I looked around the house trying to see if she was in any of the other rooms, but Bella was nowhere to be found. Fear gripped through me. How have I put her in so much danger?! I felt that being with me have put her in this situation and I didn't know what I was going to do.

Alice went to get the rest of the family and they were frantic. 

"She couldn't have gone far. She's just a human for crying out loud!" Rosalie said in frustration. She was internally annoyed that we had to go through all this trouble just for her.

Alice was scanning for her future, but just like earlier today, Alice could no longer see Bella.

"Damn it Bella! What are trying to do?" Alice exclaimed in annoyance, but I could hear the worry and fear in her thoughts and guilt that her visions were not helping us right now.

"It was clever of her to use your blind spot so we won't be able to track her down" Jasper commented and I could feel a hint of admiration in his voice. It was not helping me at all.

I paced back and forth in the living room while the others stood motionless around me.

"Will you stay still!" Rosalie complained, and I growled at her.

"Edward" Esme warned, and I gave out a sigh.

"I don't know where to find her!"

"I know you're worried Edward but you're not helping here. We want to find her as much as you do. She's family you know" Emmett said and there a was determination in his voice and the fact that in his mind, he wanted an opportunity to fight another vampire.

Alice was still trying to find Bella in her vision with no such luck. Jasper was right, if Bella decided to go home, Alice won't be able to see her, and she can go wherever she wants without us being able to find her.

"Where do you think she'll go?" Esme asked worriedly.

"If she's smart, she's going to run far away from the tracker as much as possible" Rosalie pointed out.

Jasper wore a calculated look and I let out a strangled sound at where his thoughts were leading. Carlisle saw the exchange.

"What is it Jasper?" Carlisle asked him.

"There's only two possibilities here" Everyone was paying attention to him.

"Either Rosalie is right, and Bella's running away from danger, which she'll probably have to do for the rest of her life or…. She's going to face this head on and confront James" I cringed.

"What!" The family gasped, and I couldn't even dare to think of the possibility.

"After knowing Bella for just a short while, we all know she's not going to back down. She wants to make sure we're far away as possible so we won't get involved and then she's going to confront him"

_She's suicidal._

_She won't stand a chance!_

_We have to do something!_

"Alice is there anything that you can find that can help us?" I pleaded. I couldn't lose her, not like this.

"I'm trying to track James instead, but he's waiting for us to make our move." That gave me hope.

"What do you think she'll do if she confronts him?" Carlisle was asking me, and I looked at him, afraid of the answer.

"Bella has this notion that she's strong enough to fight a vampire. She's going to want to fight him" Another gasp from the family.

"She's just a human! She needs our help!" Emmett exclaimed.

"We all heard her earlier regarding how she got here so there is a possibility that she can fight" Alice told them.

"But we don't really know what she's capable off. Edward's only seen her against other humans and she still doesn't have her memories back. She'll most probably rely on muscle memory and instinct to fight." Carlisle explained.

"That's too risky when you're trying to fight a vampire" Jasper agreed.

I couldn't stand this any longer.

"Where are you going Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm not sitting around waiting for Bella to be killed."

"We have to stick to the plan. James will know that something is going on and we might not be able to have our chance" Jasper spoke.

"I can't leave knowing that Bella is out there on her own!"

 _Son..._ "I know you're worried about her. We all are but we need to focus on what we can do." Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder which did not do anything to erase the dread that I was feeling.

 _Edward... If we can get James to follow us as planned, then we'll have an opportunity to finish him. If we can destroy him before he realizes that Bella is not with us then we can easily look for her afterwards without worrying about James._ I looked at Jasper. It was easy to see why he was easily able to rise from his ranks in the confederate army.

"Fine"

"Anybody would like to fill us in please?" Emmett asked irritably.

"We leave as planned..." Jasper started to say but then Alice touched his arm and I saw our next best action from her visions.

"We'll have to split into three. Edward, give Jasper your clothes and I'm going to take Bellas. We'll be taking Carlisle's car and we'll head East. Rosalie and Emmett will be heading North with his jeep while Edward, Carlisle and Esme take the South route in the forest"

"Will he take the bait?" Esme asked worriedly and Alice nodded. 

"He's going to give us a few hours of headstart before he starts with the chase and he's going to take his time in following Bella's scent in us." 

"Then it's settled. We'll all be in contact if anything comes up. Let's head out" Carlisle spoke with confidence. Only I could hear the worry in his mind for his entire family and for Bella who he has already treated like a daughter.

"All right! Time for some action!" Emmett gave a loud whoop and we were off."

We ran and I let my instincts lead my feet to where I needed to go, to find her. Carlisle and Esme let me lead the way and it looked to them that we were going on a random direction but for me, it wasn't random. I didn't know how but I just knew, this is where I needed to go.

After a few minutes of running, we caught a faint scent in the distance and we all recognized it. 

Bella. 

My feet moved faster, letting myself lead me to her scent. She went this way and I was going to find her...

 _Edward, Stop!_ Carlisle shouted in his thoughts which made me halt. I was about to question him when I realized where we were. We were at the boundary of Quileute Territory.

"We have to go back"

"No, I could sense her trail stronger on the other side." I insisted and took a step forward.

"Son, We don't want to start a war now."

 _I don't care._ I let out a hiss in frustration.

"Focus son. Bella needs us" That brought me to my senses.

"Why would she even go there?" Esme asked more to herself.

"Because she knows that we can't follow her there" I said gravely.

" _Edward, don't you have any beaches in this area?" Bella had inquired while she was making barbecue in front of the cottage. I was lounging at the boulder that was now permanently placed there while watching her cook._

" _There's a beach down at La Push. It's an Indian reservation where the Quileute Tribe lives." I explained to her._

" _Interesting. You should take me there sometime." She cheerfully said._

" _Sorry Bella, I'm afraid I can't" She looked up at me._

" _Why not?" After brushing her barbecue with sauce, she left it to cook while she went and sat beside me on the boulder._

" _We're not allowed there" That got her interest peaking._

" _How so?"_

_I tucked a stray hair in her ear which made her blush before continuing. "Forgive me if I can't provide you the specifics love but it's all part of a treaty that our family made with with the Quileute tribe and their leader Ephraim Black"_

_"hmmm" she nodded and did not pursue the topic about the treaty any further._

" _So... no beach then?" Bella finally asked._

" _Afraid not"_

" _Too bad. You won't have a chance to see me in my bikini then" She got down from the boulder and sashayed her way back to her barbecue and I couldn't help but feel disappointed at the lost of opportunity._

I was starting to feel anxious at what I was going to do next. 

"Edward, we have to keep moving." Carlisle spoke and when I looked at my parents, they were determined to help me find Bella and I was grateful.

I nodded and we started running again, following the edge of the invisible treaty line. Our pace was slower this time after we caught Bella's scent. We were hoping to catch her scent again but with no luck. 

It was almost daybreak when we heard from Alice and Jasper. 

"He turned around before we could find a way to trap him." Jasper spoke in the speaker. 

"Where do you think he's heading?" Carlisle asked and it was Alice who replied. 

"He hasn't decided yet but I can see him somewhere in a sunny location so he's not going to make a move until night time. Rosalie and Emmett are on their way now to meet us" 

"We might as well get a place to wait out the sun" Esme suggested and we all agreed. Alice and Jasper said goodbye and we took off to find a place to say. We found a nearby inn where we where able to stay all throughout the day. 

The longer we were not able to find Bella, the more she was at risk outside.

Esme was there beside me, comforting me from the pain that was slowly ripping me inside with having to be away from the woman I love.

The longer we were not able to find Bella, the more she was at risk outside.

It was already starting to get dark and I was starting to lose hope when Carlisle's cellphone rang. It was Alice and the panic in her voice was clear. 

"Edward, I saw him! He's with Bella!"


	20. Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a little breather from Edward's mind shall we?

**Jacob POV**

_Why am I here? I should already be halfway to Port Angeles by now._

To be honest, I really was just moping around because my friends ditched me for some girls that they were dating in school. Quil and Embry were supposed to tag along with me to Port Angeles, so we could get some parts for my car that I was working on, but they cancelled on me at the last minute.

Sighing, I stood up straight after leaning from my old Chevy truck. My dad used to drive this before an accident caused him to be in a wheelchair. It had sentimental value but the thing's gotta go. It was too slow for me and I didn't think the truck's gonna last any longer. Maybe I can get enough from selling this thing so I could buy the parts that I needed to fix my Volkswagen Rabbit.

I was about to get in the truck when I remembered Quil's words earlier at school.

_"C'mon Jacob, have some fun!"_

_"Fixing my car is my idea of fun." I pointed out. "Yeah, Yeah, we're not talking about tinkering with your toys" Embry joined in as he looked in the direction of some girls that we're coming out of the cafeteria._

_Quil nudged him at the side and they went over to the girls to ask them out. I saw the girls giggle at something they said, and I couldn't help but sigh._

" _I thought we were going to Port Angeles?!" I called to them._

" _We are! We won't be long! Meet you at First Beach at Two!" Quil waived and I knew then, that was the last I'm going to see them today._

But I still came here anyway. I inhaled a lungful and smiled to myself. "Oh well, might as well get it over with."

I was about to get back in the car when I saw something flash in my peripheral vision. I looked around to see if anyone was there, but the beach was empty.

I looked up at the sky and there it was again. I scanned the area and my eyes traveled to the top of the cliff where we usually go cliff diving and there it was. Someone was up there, I didn't know who it was, but I didn't think it was someone from the reservation.

I jogged closer and I could faintly make out a figure of a woman standing dangerously close to the edge of the cliff and seeing that she was fully dressed, I didn't think she was up for some recreational cliff diving.

I ran as fast as I could until I reached the base of the cliff and started to walk my way up. When I reached the top, I saw a woman in her jeans and hoodie. Her hair that was up to her shoulders were swaying with the strong wind. My heart jumped. With her built, I was actually afraid that the wind would blow her away but she stood firmly at the edge of the cliff, not moving, except for her hand that was flipping some kind of watch. That must have been what caused the flash that I saw earlier.

I was hesitant to approach. Was she trying to jump off the cliff? If so, my approach might scare her, and she might make a misstep and fall to her death.

"The view here is really nice." The woman suddenly spoke, and I was surprised that she knew I was there. She turned towards me and I almost felt my heart pop out of my chest. She was beautiful. Her brown eyes were mesmerizing, and she didn't even make an effort to mesmerize me.

"It is" I answered. I wasn't sure if I was referring to the view or to her. I hope she didn't notice that. _Get a grip of yourself Jacob! Be cool…_ I tried to tell myself. _Geez Is this how it feels to like someone?_

She smiled at me but there was something in her eyes that I couldn't distinguish. Was it sadness? I tried to clear my head. I need to deal with the matter at hand. What was she doing here? Was she trying to kill herself?

"The water's really cold at this time of year." I made small talk. Maybe I can distract her enough to keep her away from the edge. She placed the watch in her pocket and sighed.

"I guess so. You come here often?" She asked curiously. "Sometimes, me and my friends would usually go cliff diving when we're up for it" I smiled fondly. I slowly walked towards her when she started walking just inches from the edge. My hands instinctively reached for her.

"Whoah Careful!" I almost shouted but she never lost her balance. Instead she looked at me and she must have seen the panic in my face that she decided to move away. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew. You almost gave me a heart attack!" She smiled warmly this time. "Sorry about that. You thought I was trying to jump?" She casually asked, and I didn't know how to respond. I just nodded.

"Don't worry. I was just thinking… worrying actually."

"About what?" Curiosity got the better of me.

"Nothing, don't mind me." She laughed but how could I ignore her?

"Are you from town?" Her pale complexion clearly shows that she was not from the reservation and I would know. The population here was so small that I probably knew all the girls who lived here.

"In a way" She didn't go into details. She saw a log lying nearby and went over to sit on it. There was an empty space beside her and I tentatively walked over to where she was sitting. Might as well try my luck. If she didn't like me hanging around, I could always leave. She didn't protest with me close to her, so I sat down beside her making sure that there was still a small space between us.

"So…" I moved my body, so I could face her. "You here for vacation?" It was a few seconds before she answered. "I'm not sure yet."

"Why so?" I asked then quickly added. "I don't mean to pry of course but it looked like you needed someone you can talk to and since I'm here…" I let my sentence hang. She really didn't have to tell me anything. After all, I was still just a stranger. But deep inside, I really wanted to know more about her.

The look on her face showed that she was contemplating if she was going to share or not and I heard her sigh.

"Well, my… boyfriend…" I felt my hope crumble into pieces. _Damn! Why Did I have to ask?!_

"My boyfriend and his family, they're kind of in trouble because of me…"

"What kind of trouble?" I asked intrigued. So much for infatuation but this girl needs someone to talk to. Maybe we can be friends? I would definitely want to be her friend.

"I had to leave so they won't be involved. I won't be able to forgive myself if something happens to them… if something happens… to him…" I saw the pain in her eyes and I can see that she loves this guy and his family deeply. Lucky Guy!

"So, are you running away from the mafia?" I teased, trying to lighten up the mood. That made her giggle and the sound was music to my ears.

"Nah, nothing like that... its complicated" It was clear that she was not going to tell me the reason so I didn't press any further.

"Is your… boyfriend… from here?" I asked. _Someone I know perhaps?_

"He lives just outside of town. I'm not sure if you know them though" She left it at that.

"What are you planning to do?" I changed the subject. She thought for a moment while looking at the horizon.

"There's something that I need to take care off…alone… but first I need to find a way to get out of town… probably go to Port Angeles or somewhere else" _Well, what do you know!_

"You're in luck! I'm actually off to Port Angeles today. I just need to go to town to sell my old truck then I'm going to Port Angeles to buy some stuff. You're welcome to join me if you want. Well, we'll have to ride a bus to Port Angeles since I still don't have a license." I grinned sheepishly.

"Oh…I don't want to be a burden"

"No, no, no… I insist and besides, I'll have someone I can talk to" It might be an opportunity for me to get to know her more. She thought about my offer.

"Are there usually a lot of people in the bus at this time?" She asked. "I think so, yeah"

She looked like she already decided so I stood up and she followed.

"Let's go down to my truck. I'll give you a ride." _Oh! I forgot to introduce myself… Just smooth Jacob…_

"By the way, the name's Jacob Black. But you can call me Jake if you want." I reached out my hand. She looked at me with surprise like the name was familiar, but she didn't say anything.

"My name is Isabella Swan, but I prefer, Bella." She accepted my hand in a surprisingly firm handshake.

"Bella…" I smiled. We walked together to where my car was waiting and realized something when we reached the bottom.

"Hey, how'd you get here anyway? I don't see any vehicle nearby."

"I ran here" She replied casually before walking past me. She is one weird girl.


	21. Human vs Vampire

**PREVIOUSLY:**

_The longer we were not able to find Bella, the more she was at risk outside._

_It was already starting to get dark and I was starting to lose hope when Carlisle's cellphone rang. It was Alice and the panic in her voice was clear._

_"Edward, I saw him! He's with Bella!"_

_________________________________________________________________________________

Carlisle and Esme were instantly at my side as they listened to Alice give us the direction where she saw Bella confronting James. The address was an abandoned warehouse near the port in Tacoma and Alice and the others were already on their way.

"You're location is too close to civilization. You're going to risk exposure if all of you venture on foot" Alice warned.

"We don't have time to go looking for a car and move in human pace! She might not make it through the night!" I burst out. We were wasting precious time. All I wanted was to be with Bella and having anyone see us running in inhuman speed was the least of my worries.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned around, I was met with Esme's determined face.

"Carlisle and I will look for a car and we'll meet you there as soon as we can. Edward... go save Bella." The love I felt for my parents swelled a thousand folds. Here I was, out of my wits end, blaming myself for what was happening, on the verge of breaking down and fearing for the worst possible thing that could happen to the woman I love while the two people who raised me as their own stood determined that I would be able to do what I needed to do to protect her.

"That will work" Alice confirmed.

Carlisle looked me in the eye, trust and confidence filling his mind "Edward... go"

No matter how damned I believed our existence were, I would always be thankful to have the family that I have now.

The only thing then that came to my mind after Alice ended the call was to run and run I did.

I ran as fast as my vampire speed could take me, I ran as if my life depended on it, Bella's life depended on it.

They say that if people die, their whole life flashes right before their eyes but it wasn't my life that was flashing before me, it was Bella's.

From the day that we found her in the crater, how her scent was the sweetest thing that I have encountered from my existence;

To her waking up and finding out who and what we were;

To her decision to stay with us even though she knew what we were;

To those long nights where she let me stay with her and I would watch her sleep and those days that we were together and enjoyed each others company;

To the moment where I showed her what I looked like in the sun, confessing my love for her and realizing that she loved me in return;

To the night where she first showed that she was not just an ordinary human;

To the time we went back to the place where we found her, and her memories started to return;

To the moment where she declared that she wanted to stay with me, here with my family;

and to the last moment that I saw her before she ran off to her death.

I was not dying but with what the love of my life was facing, I might as well be.

I thought back to her insistence to fight earlier. She said that she wanted to fight, that she can fight. I believed her, I will always believe in her but I also believed that it was not enough to face off a vampire. Right now though, I wanted it to be true. I wanted her to be strong enough to face the hunter or at least strong enough to hold him off until I arrive.

It was too much to ask for a human but it was the only way.

But what if I arrived too late? It hurts to think about it, but I had to. This was a different pain that I felt. Before, when Bella decided she wanted to go home, it had hurt, but I knew that somewhere, she would be alive. In a different world but still alive.

This time it was different... The pain shook me to my core like it was ripping my entire being apart and I realized that I would not be able to continue my existence if Bella was gone. If Bella dies, I would have to find a way to follow her because I would not be able to exist... without her.

I have come to that decision just as I could see the dock in front of me. It was already dark, and no one was around. I scanned the area for any signs of life like thoughts of a dangerous hunter or the heartbeat of the woman I love but there was none. It was unnerving.

I bound towards the rows of warehouses when it came to view, focusing my mind and my senses to catch the thoughts of a sadistic vampire and when I did, I let out a growl when I realized that I was in the wrong side of the dock. They were at the far end of the location and I was still too faraway to be of any help but not too faraway to see what I see in his mind and I almost cried out.

James and Bella inside the abandoned warehouse.

James was circling Bella who stood poised and without a single hint of fear. James was curious yet annoyed in his mind that she was not cowering in fear. He wanted her to scream, He wanted her to beg. She was not giving him what he wanted, so he decided he wanted to play with her a little longer.

I could smell her from his mind and he wanted so much to taste her, but not before he was done playing.

"Once I'm done with you I'm going to tell that coven how I slowly took your pathetic little life" He taunted, and Bella shot him an angry look which he found funny.

"Leave them out of this!" Bella crouched in a fighting stance and James laughed. This was not his idea of fun but he was suddenly enjoying the idea of a human making an attempt to fight someone like him.

"Then beg… for your life" His velvety voice spoke.

"No" She said stubbornly.

James disappeared in the shadows and Bella tensed, ready for any attack. I knew where he was but Bella probably didn't.

I was almost there and frustration was getting to me as I wondered why I couldn't seem to be fast enough to save her. Why does it feel like time was running in slow motion?

He lunged for her from her side, hands raised with his claw-like fingers itching to tear flesh but Bella sidestepped. He was distracted by the idea that a human like Bella was able to avoid his attack that he failed to see her reaching out her arms in front of her and then a blast of fire assaulted his face. 

He stepped back before the fire was able to damage his marble body. Her actions had shook him. If he hadn't been fast enough, the fire would have caught his body and he would have been burned and there would be no stopping the fire until it would consume him alive. Of course, she still needed to tear him apart before she can fully destroy him but the idea that the girl intended to kill him... insulted him and he was seething with rage.

How dare the human think that she can fight an immortal being? He roared in anger and made a lunge for her. Bella held out her arms again, ready to use the canister and the lighter that she was holding but James changed directions and landed behind Bella. Before she could turn around, he grabbed her by the collar and threw her towards a trailer. 

The trailer shook on impact and left a dent to where her body hit the trailer and she fell on the ground.

"That trick is not going to work on me the second time little girl" He snarled in amusement.

_Awww, I hope I didn't kill her… there's so much I wanted to do to…_

"It was worth a try" she said casually as she slowly stood up like nothing happened.

He stood there dumbfounded. _How?!_

And then we smelled it. Something in my chest rumbled. The monster inside me had never been this eager to come out.

The building came into view and I desperately looked for an easy way in.

Inside, Bella saw the change in his features and glanced at her arm. A small trail of blood trickled under her arm sleeve and she tore the sleeve to reveal a small cut. That was when she noticed that she had landed near a few glass shards.

She picked up one glass and with one swift motion, she slashed her arm deep enough for blood to flow freely. Without taking her eyes of her attacker, she smiled a calculating smile... then all hell broke loose.

James launched himself towards Bella with the only thought of draining her of her blood.

I leaped towards the window, my thoughts screaming for my body to stop because It was no longer me who was in control. I was no longer there to save Bella. The monster inside me has taken over and was there to take what was rightfully his in the first place, her blood.

That few seconds that it took for me to land, I was able to see everything clearly.

Bella trying to get away from his attack but was not fast enough this time and he had caught the the remaining sleeve of her hoodie.

James dragging her towards him but Bella used his arm for momentum to jump and kick him on the chest, sending them flying away from each other with James unceremoniously thrown to the ground while Bella landed on her feet.

James anger was bursting, furious that a mere human was able to throw him like that and made another attack.

Bella was ready this time as she crouched in anticipation then jumped as soon as James closed the gap. She landed on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck in a choke hold just as Rosalie and Emmett arrived just in time to grab each of his arms to keep him from clawing at Bella.

James was thrashing as Bella's bleeding arm was just inches from his mouth, but her hold was strong.

Bella turned towards my siblings beside her who nodded in understanding as if they have been doing this for a long time and with synchronized movements, the three of them tore the vampire apart with one metallic screech.

I realized that I had been frozen in place since I landed minutes ago as I took in the chaos around me. I had stopped breathing which was the reason that I was able to keep the monster from finishing what James had intended to do.

Bella let go of the head while Rosalie and Emmett ripped the rest of his body parts. Carlisle and Esme was already there and was looking for something to set his body on fire. He found the canister and the lighter that Bella had used earlier and used that to start a fire.

Esme went to Alice's side to make sure Jasper was okay. They were at the other side of the warehouse and I could see Alice in the background trying to calm Jasper who stood rigid at the entrance because of the smell of Bella's blood.

Amidst the chaos, Bella, stood there, panting like she just ran a marathon and then as if sensing my presence, she turned to my direction. Pure relief was reflected in her eyes as she smiled... and then she collapsed.


	22. Recovery

"Carlisle, why isn't she waking up?" I tried to keep my voice calm but seeing that it's been 48 hours since the encounter at the warehouse, I haven't really been able to pull myself together.

We were back home, and we had laid Bella in her bed back at the cottage. Carlisle has been monitoring her condition while the others were back in the house still reeling at the thought that my human girlfriend just killed a vampire.

"Edward, she will wake up" Carlisle assured me. He was standing at the foot of the bed while I sat beside her sleeping figure, holding her hand. After what happened, I was afraid of letting go.

"But I still don't understand why it has to be so long!" I was anxious.

 _Want me to get Jasper for you?_ He thought.

"No, I'm fine" I lied.

"Son, she's physically exhausted. Who wouldn't be after all that happened. Her body needs to recover. She'll wake up once she's ready" Carlisle assured _. I still can't believe it. It was so impossible, yet she was able to destroy a vampire_. Carlisle's thoughts flashed back to what happened and I let out a grimace. They were not there to see everything that had happened but Alice had seen it in her vision and she gave them the full details of everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry but to be honest, I've never been this perplexed in all my three hundred years of existence. Bella is quite an extraordinary individual don't you think?"

I had to agree with Carlisle. I had underestimated Bella, but I still can't wrap my mind that she wasn't an ordinary human.

However, she was never bothered for a second about what I am so why should I be bothered about what she can do? After all, she was still Bella albeit stronger than normal, but nevertheless, still My Bella.

"Edward, you should hunt. You need to be yourself when she wakes up" He interrupted my thoughts.

"I can handle it"

_Are you sure?_

I nodded. For now, I was in control.

I tried not to think of the memory of how I let the monster inside me almost consume me and would have ended Bella's life when her blood was spilled. I couldn't tell my father that I was that close to losing myself because they had trusted me that I would not hurt Bella. I had showed them that I was able to control my thirst but yet, when blood was spilled, I was at the mercy of my true vampire nature. If I hadn't stopped breathing... I cleared that thought and shoved it at the very back of my mind. I was going to be strong for Bella. After I was so close of losing her, I found a new sense of strength in fighting the monster inside me that desired her blood. I would use that strength to make sure that what happened to me in the warehouse, would not happen again.

Bella stirred beside me and her eyes slowly opened. She took in her surroundings for a few seconds before her eyes fell on to me. That was when she jumped up and slammed her body onto me and wrapped her arms around my neck in a fierce embrace.

"Edward I'm so sorry for leaving" I could hear her trying to bite back a sob.

"Oh Love, I thought I lost you!" the pain in my voice was apparent that she held me tighter, making her strength apparent. It was not enough to hurt me, but it was there.

"You had us worried there for a second." Carlisle spoke, and Bella realized that we weren't alone in the room. She loosened her grip, so she can look at my father beside me but instead of letting go, she snugged closer, so she could see us both.

"I'm really sorry for causing trouble to your family Carlisle." She apologized sincerely, and my father smiled.

"Bella, it wasn't your fault and please do remember that you are part of our family now."

She looked at him for a few seconds before replying.

"Thank you… for being there. I'm glad you found me when you did, or I don't know what could've happened if that fight lasted a while longer." I tensed at her words.

"Where are the others?" Bella suddenly changed the subject as if sensing my distress.

"They're at the main house Love, they were really worried about you" I told her.

"We should go to them. I want to thank them and tell them I'm okay." Bella looked at Carlisle.

"Of course. I should go ahead and let them know you'll be joining us. I'll have Esme prepare some food for you" _Son, I'll give you some time alone before you join us._ Carlisle added in his thoughts before he sprinted back towards the house.

After a few of Bella's heartbeat, I was aware that we were finally alone, and she was staring at me with so much intensity.

"Are you okay?" I knew she was referring to my eyes that was slowly losing its golden glow.

"Now that you're here, I am more than okay." Her face was just inches from mine and before I could add anything else, Bella pressed her lips slowly into mine and it was like everything that had happened the previous days didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was her and me, here together.

I couldn't get enough of her as I deepened my kiss with a sense of urgency that I never felt before. The thought of losing her made me want to cling to her... to taste her... to make sure that she was really, truly alive. I heard her soft moan as she moved her body as close as she can while my arms instinctively wrapped around her.

We were in that position for a few intense moments until Bella broke the kiss to catch her breath, yet she kept her body where it was. Our foreheads were glued together as she closed her eyes trying to pull herself together. She bit her lip softly and resisted the urge to kiss her again.

I've been wanting more and more every time Bella and I would be this intimate and it didn't help my resolve when I see her looking at me and her eyes shouting that she wanted more too. But that was something I would not be willing to take the risk.

I knew I was in control, but it didn't mean I wouldn't be putting Bella at risk if I let myself be consumed with desire. It was a desire so strong it made the thirsty monster look like a joke, but I had to be the one to show restraint because if the recent events taught me any lesson, it's that Bella would not think twice about putting herself in danger and she would rather take the risk of getting hurt so she can be with me more than anything else.

I focused and thought about a different danger that she was in not long ago. I needed to make sure that she won't intentionally put herself on that situation again.

"Bella…" I grabbed her hands from behind me and placed it in my chest. She let her fingers trace small patterns in my chest and I had to focus to keep me from being distracted by her touch.

"Hmmm?"

"Will you promise me one thing?" She sat up straight and became serious. She waited for me to continue.

"Promise me that you won't put yourself in danger like that again? I know you can take care of yourself, but it would kill me if anything happens to you" I didn't want to tell her that I've already contemplated that when I thought I would be too late.

She made the choice of staying here with me and my family, so I vowed that I would be with her and protect her as long as she lives, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bella took time to answer and I sensed that she was conflicted.

"I don't know if I can promise that" My brows furrowed, and she lifted her fingers, as she smoothed it out.

"Edward, I'm truly sorry about what happened. I should have been more stubborn about the idea of joining you and the others in fighting James instead of going off on my own." She said without batting an eyelash, and I didn't know if I was going to be relieved or be worried at the idea.

"I was too complacent to take him on my own. Maybe if I had my memories, it wouldn't have been that difficult but If you ask me if I would do that again, I would, without hesitation." I couldn't believe what she was saying!

"But – "I tried to argue but she silenced me with her fingers on my lips.

"I know you want to protect me, I really do, and I love you for that. But when I was fighting him, I felt a sense of duty to make sure that he doesn't harm anybody else. I needed to fight him. I don't have my memories, but I knew then…" She paused before continuing and she was choosing her words carefully.

"Fighting is in my blood. I knew it. I can feel it. I felt it when I knocked down those thugs in Port Angeles and I felt it when I was facing James. But I'm not just going to fight for the love of it Edward. I fight to protect. I fight to make sure no one else gets hurt. That's why I didn't want all of you to go after James. I fight to protect anyone that needed protection and for those that I cared about... Even if those I cared about are seven really strong vampires." She added playfully in the end and I was in awe.

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Her conviction was so strong it felt like talking to a totally different Bella.

I remembered her words when she spoke of her memories. _There was chaos everywhere, explosions, people needing help. It was like the world was ending._ What kind of world was she living that made her have this kind of mindset? That made her fight? That made her want to protect others? To fight someone that she knew that was stronger than her?

Even if this world held mythical creatures like us, we had a semblance of normalcy in our lives. It made me think that she would be better off here with us than going back home which I was glad she had already decided before.

This was a side of her that I did not expect. Gone was the girl that was scared because she lost her memories. This was a side of her that made me love her even more.

"I can promise you this instead" She continued and I was curious.

"I promise not to make any rash decisions like that if we get into some kind of trouble again" I raised one brow at her.

"You think there's more danger in the future?"

She shrugged. "I'm not Alice but I have a strong feeling it's not going to be easy getting a happily ever after here"

I had to laugh. "Only you can associate vampires with a fairy tale ending" She stuck her tongue out at me playfully then made a serious face.

"But Edward… If something does come up. Please… let me be by your side" She looked at me pleadingly but what she's asking was hard.

"I can be strong if I want to. I know that now. With or without my memories" the last part caught me off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to dwell too much about my lost memories from now on." She decided.

"So, you have no plans of trying to find your way home?"

"I still do of course but I'm going to take my time. If I find my way home, then good. If my memories would return, then better. That's going to help me a lot but right now, I just want to enjoy these moments here… with you if you may." She pressed her lips softly into mine in a chaste kiss and I never wanted this day to end but I remember that there were others who were probably wondering what's taking us so long.

"I guess it's time for us to go back to the main house. Everyone wants to see how our hero is doing" I smiled and stood up, so she could get out of bed.

"I didn't do all that you know" She reminded me.

"True but you were the human who fought a vampire with just an aerosol and a lighter and managed to get out of it alive" I told her and then something Emmett said made my smile. "Emmett's so blown away by what you did that he plans to call you Buffy for the next few days" I knew she was familiar with the reference when I heard her watch video clips of the TV series when she was staying at the main house. Bella was wide-eyed then she let out a girlish giggle.

"Fine… Go get my wooden stake Spike! It's time to invade a vampire's den!" She pointed to the direction of the main house as she started to run with me following in her pace and my laugh disturbing the forest behind us.

END OF BOOK ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have shared their feedback, followed and liked the story! It really means so much to me!!!! We made it! It's the end of the book but the story is not over yet! Book two: Falling into Pieces is coming up and I will soon be posting the chapters. 
> 
> There were a lot of changes when I uploaded the story here including some minor and major changes to the flow of the story compared to when I first posted this in a different site (fanfiction.net) but I do hope that you all enjoyed it! Until next time!
> 
> Again, I do not own the rights to the characters of this story including the reference to Buffy, the vampire slayer at the end of the story hehehe XD


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